MONTEPULCIANO

Characteristics

The Montepulciano vine is a red berried variety, widely cultivated in the centre-south of Italy. It is the second most cultivated red-berried grape variety in Italy, after Sangiovese, so much so that we can find it in about 50 DOC and DOCG production specifications. Contrary to what one might think, the Montepulciano vine has no connection to the homonymous Tuscany city of Montepulciano, in the province of Siena. The Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, in fact, is vinified with a clone of Sangiovese, called Prugnolo gentile.

The origin of Montepulciano is almost certainly from the Abruzzo region, in particular in the province of Pescara,  but in multiple documents of 1700, its presence in the territory of Marche region was found as well. According to some recent studies, its origins may be found in ancient Greek history. Montepulciano gives excellent results vinified as a single grape wine, but it is perfect as a blended wine as well, in particular with Sangiovese. It is suitable for all types of land, but it is not very resistant to mildew and oesophageal disease.

Generally, red wines from the Montepulciano vine are appreciated for their elegance and wide range of bouquet. Wines from Montepulciano are pleasing to the palate, with a persistent test and particularly suitable for aging. Normally, they have a deep ruby red color with purple reflections, which tend to garnet color with aging. They have a vinous taste, soft and fruity (in particular for their scents of cherry, marasca cherry and plum), spicy, with thick and refined tannins.

Special attention is given to the rosè vinification, from which you can get fresh, bright and light wines. A Montepulciano bunch is compact, of medium size, cylindrical or conic shaped. Berries are medium size, with a blackish-blue, very pruinose , thick skin. Grapes ripe within the first weeks of October. Thanks to its richness in anthocyanins and the high polyphenolic properties, Montepulciano is frequently used as a blended wine to improve the color and the structure of other wines.

Areas of Cultivation

Particularly widespread in the Abruzzo region, but it is also largely cultivated in the Marche region (province of Ascoli Piceno and Ancona), in the Apulia region (province of Foggia), in the Molise region (province of Campobasso),  in the Emilia-Romagna region (province of Rimini), and in the Lazio and Tuscany regions.

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