This wine is from the Abruzzi region of Italy and is made from, you have guessed it, the Montepulcino grape and sometimes a little bit of Sangiovese is allowed into the mix. There are many high quality wines produced in the region. But this is not one of them. It does, however, show some regional character and my wife was able to identify it as an Italian wine even though I had covered the label. This is not bad for her taste buds and the wine. This dry red wine was well balanced with a strong taste of plums and cherries and on the label it said it was medium bodied and I am inclined to agree with whoever wrote that. We drank it with a tomato based stew which included lamb and smoked bacon and it went down quite well. This is good standard quality wine. I do not remember buying it and my research on the Internet did not reveal much about this wine. I guess that it is about six or seven pounds a bottle. Probably someone brought it around for a dinner party and I racked it. I certainly would not refuse another bottle. This is good everyday wine and when I see it on a supermarket shelf I shall buy a bottle if I am in a good mood.
Montepulciano D'Abruzzo should not be confused with red Vino Nobile di Montepulciano which is produced in Tuscany in the environs of the town of Montepulciano but from the noble Sangiovese grape. This latter wine is another step up. And if anyone has the good sense to fetch it around for dinner, I shall open it and drink it with them. Tuscany is, of course, a wine lover's paradise and is certainly worth visiting if only for the wine.
The Montepulciano grape does not fare well as far north as Tuscany. Oh, the wine business is very complex.
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