TWL Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

Montepulciano spearheads the wines of Abruzzo

Montepulciano spearheads the wines of Abruzzo

For one of the most-exported of Italian wines, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo seems to fly under the radar for most Americans. As a rule of thumb, just remember that these DOC wines represent the best value in Italian reds. They are perfect, by the way, with Thanksgiving dinner. Just make sure you read the labels carefully. Many producers give their wines fanciful names like Ottobre Rosso (Red October) or Divus (Rich). Look for the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC indication on the capsule. Unless your family hails from Abruzzo, you might not even know where the region is located. Geography says it's central, but most references call it southern Italy because of the cultural links to the south. The main thing to remember is that Abruzzo is a green,...Read More

Valori wines show strong organic backbone

“When you grow completely organically,” says Luigi Valori of Azienda Valori in Abruzzo, “an interesting thing happens to the grapes. The skins become very thick.” That's more than an obscure botanical fact. It completely changes the potential of the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo grape. Color, tannin, and polyphenols all dwell in the skins of red wine grapes. More of those things make up for the shortcomings of mass-produced wine. Like many Italian wines, the reputation of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo suffers from a tradition of overproduction. Wines can still meet DOC standards while being grown at weights up to 10 kilograms per vine. Since the grape has naturally sweet and soft tannins, overproduction creates wines that are soft, flabby and don't age well. But properly grown with a limited...Read More