MONTEPULCIANO & MONTEPULCIANO! CONFUSED?
Italian wine fanciers have undoubtedly heard the name Montepulciano bandied about. It's a grape and it's a place. But they plant no Montepulciano in Montepulciano. It's confusing...at first.
Many people are familiar with an Italian wine called Montepulciano, but most don’t know that there are actually two wines from Italy bearing the name Montepulciano, and they come from different parts of Italy and stylistically can be quite different.
One is named for the Montepulciano grape and is best known for the bold, fruity and affordable wines from the Abruzzo region on the Adriatic coast. The other wine gets its name from a place called Montepulciano which is a small, medieval town in the Sienna province of Tuscany. The town of Montepulciano produces the famous Vino Nobile di Montepulciano which is made primarily from the Sangiovese grape. These wines tend to be drier, earthier and more structured than wines made from the Montepulciano grape.
A little confusing? Yes, but one little trick to decipher which wine you’re looking at is to look at the Di or D’ in the name of the wine on the label. Those mean “from” in Italian and the word right after is where the wine came from. So if you see D’Abruzzo you will know the wine comes from Abruzzo and Di Montepulciano denotes the wine is from Montepulciano.
A few things that aren’t confusing about these two wines is that both wines have broad crowd appeal, are excellent food wines and are great to be familiar with when perusing the wine list at your favorite Italian restaurant or when shopping for wines for that homemade Italian supper.
Here are some of the truly enjoyable wines that ought to clear up the confusion once and for all:
2018 Farnese Fantini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Fantini’s Montepulciano is a classic example of the quaffable, rustic red and an amazing value. Each year they produce a medium bodied, juicy wine with dark red berry & plum fruits that is easy to drink and crowd pleasing. This affordable red pairs wonderfully with flavorful American-Italian foods, burgers, pizza, grilled meats and more.
$9.99 per bottle
2018 Col del Mondo Montepulciano d’Abruzzo “Sunnae”
This wine has nice acidity, with notes of fresh fruit, ready to drink, and a great match with food. The grapes are hand-picked and aging takes a year in cement tanks.
14.99 per bottle
2019 Cerelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Vino Biologico
Fresh scent, intensely fruity with hints of mature red fruits. Soft, round, full-bodied and consistent taste. Best enjoyed with spicy salami, pasta dishes, red meats and semi-cured cheeses.
16.99 per bottle
2017 Ca del Moro Montepulciano d’Abruzzo “Fantello”
With a deep and intensive ruby red color, the Ca del Moro has intensive fruity notes, especially of plum and cherry. The taste is fruity and with a long-lasting finish. Best enjoyed with grilled meats and suitable for a wide variety of appetizers.
14.99 per bottle
2019 La Quercia Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
La Quercia’s Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is one of our best-selling Italian wines year after year and one of the best values in our store. This Montepulciano is bold and juicy but stylish and smooth with dark plum fruits, warm spices and a touch of earth. Everything you want in a Montepulciano! 100% organic too!
$12.99 per bottle
2016 La Quercia Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is always a crowd pleasing, juicy Italian red wine that goes great with a wide variety of foods but this is La Quercia’s Riserva Montepulciano which is aged longer and in oak barrels that really elevates this normally rustic wine. Their 2016 Riserva is dark, rich and smooth with ripe plum and blackberry fruits and notes of earth and spice. This is made for richer pastas and meats. An amazing value and 100% organic!
$18.99 per bottle
2018 Poliziano Rosso di Montepulciano, Tuscany
Poliziano’s Rosso wine is a blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Merlot. It’s a fresh, fruit driven wine with palate cleansing acidity and just the right amount of tannins to pair with a wide variety of foods. This is a great wine to pair with American-Italian tomato-based dishes but has the depth to handle chicken and meat dishes as well. Grab a couple bottles because this wine goes down way too easy!
$14.99 per bottle
2017 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Tuscany
As the name implies, Vino Nobile is one of Tuscany’s most noble and historic wines with mentions of the great red wine in the town of Montepulciano dating back to the 1600’s. Poliziano is one of the most respected Montepulciano growers and consistently produces rich, polished Vino Nobile wines year after year. Poliziano’s 2017 Vino Nobile is a solid example of an age-worthy Vino Nobile. The bold wine is powerful, yet elegant with sour cherry and blackberry fruits, notes of wild herbs and hints of vanilla and toasted oak. It is a well-structured and balanced wine with good acidity and pleasant tannins. Great with rich meat pasta dishes and roasted or grilled meats.
$29.99 per bottle
2019 Dei Rosso di Montepulciano, Tuscany
Consistently one of the finest values in The Wine Country. Dei's elegant version is silky, expressive and an easy-drinking lighter version of its elegant Vino Nobile di Montalcino. The Prugnolo Gentile clone of Sangiovese allows it to express itself well with a wide variety of foods.
$17.99 per bottle
2016 Dei Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Tuscany
Dei’s Vino Nobile is a store favorite year after year and always delivers an impressive Sangiovese wine at this price. 2016 was a fantastic vintage in Tuscany and Dei’s Vino Nobile really shows it. This is a bigger and richer wine compared to the previous vintages with the ripe red and black fruits really shining against the bold tannins. This is a truly enjoyable Tuscan classic!
$29.99 per bottle
2016 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Tuscany
93 pts James Suckling: A bright, pretty Vino Nobile showing rose petals, tulips and orange zest. Taut tannins draw out fine layers of firm tannins, coating the vibrant fruit in sparkling acidity. Medium-bodied and medium chewy. Crunchy on the finish. Drink now or hold.
93 pts Wine Enthusiast: Fragrant and loaded with finesse, this has enticing aromas of dark-skinned berry, violet, camphor and whiffs of pipe tobacco. The vibrant, linear palate has great tension, delivering juicy Morello cherry, crushed mint, orange zest and star anise framed in taut, fine-grained tannins. It’s balanced, with bright acidity.