Masciarelli, Colline Teatine Rosato

Rosé can be made from any red wine grape. It’s produced by pressing the grapes and fermenting the juice without the grape skins. Red wine, on the other hand, is fermented with the skins of the grapes along with the juice, and the deep red color comes from the skins.

Although rosé can be produced from any red wine grape there are a handful of varieties used more often than others, such as Syrah, Grenache, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir and a few others. The rosé I’m highlighting today, however, is produced from Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. I believe this is the first rosé I’ve tasted from Montepulciano grapes, but I hope it’s not the last.

This wine was made by  Tenute Agricole Masciarelli, often referred to simply as Masciarelli. They are a pioneering producer in the Abruzzo region of Italy, with vineyards in all four provinces of Abruzzo and a reputation for elevating the quality of wine production in the region.

Masciarelli produces a lot of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, mostly as red wine, under a few different “lines” within their product portfolio. This rosé is part of their Classics line, which is their entry-level product tier. In other words, it’s their most budget-friendly. I recently reviewed the red Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from this line and it’s a wine worth checking out also.

As with many wine designations in Europe, there are very specific guidelines that need to be followed for a wine to be labeled as Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and more specifically as a DOC wine. This rosé doesn’t bear that designation, but rather it has the Colline Teatine IGT designation. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) translates literally as “Typical Geographical Indication” and is a designation given to quality wines from a region that fall outside the DOC specifications.

There are still guidelines that need to be followed for an IGT wine, but they provide a little more flexibility than DOC requirements. In this case, the Colline Teatine IGT name tells us that the grapes originate from the Chieti province of Abruzzo and the alcohol level is a minimum of 10.5%.

Technicalities are just, well… technical. What matters most to me is the end product and in this case, it’s delicious!

Tasting Notes

This wine has soft floral, strawberry, raspberry and herbal notes on the nose. It’s a classic rosé nose. The palate is much the same, offering subtle strawberry, raspberry, lemon and mineral flavors. The acidity is sufficient to give a brightness to this wine. It has a pleasant mouthfeel with a touch of creaminess. It’s fairly long on the finish, with lingering citrus, red berry and saline mineral flavors.

Wine: Masciarelli, Colline Teatine IGT Rosato
Varieties: 100% Montepulciano
Vintage: 2022
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 90
Average price: $14
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.