Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC
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Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is an Italian
red wine Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple grap ...
made from the Montepulciano wine grape in the
Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...
region of east-central Italy. It should not be confused with
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a red wine with a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita status produced in the vineyards surrounding the town of Montepulciano, Italy. The wine is made primarily from the Sangiovese grape varietal (known ...
, a
Tuscan wine Tuscan wine (Italian ''Toscana'') is Italian wine from the Tuscany region. Located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian coast, Tuscany is home to some of the world's most notable wine regions. Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di ...
made from Sangiovese and other grapes. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo was first classified as '' Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) in 1968. The ''Colline Teramane'' subzone, established in 1995 as a DOC in the province of Teramo, was promoted to separate '' Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita'' (DOCG) status in 2003 and is now known as ''Colline Teramane Montepulciano d'Abruzzo''.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pp. 182 Firefly Books 2004 J. Bastianich & D. Lynch ''Vino Italiano'' pg 280-283 Crown Publishing 2005 In the late 20th and early 21st century, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo earned a reputation as one of the most widely exported DOC wines in Italy. It is typically
dry Dry or dryness most often refers to: * Lack of rainfall, which may refer to ** Arid regions ** Drought * Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages * Dry humor, deadpan * Dryness (medica ...
with soft tannins and often consumed young. In addition to Montepulciano, up to 15% Sangiovese is permitted in the blend. Wines aged by the maker for more than two years may be labeled ''Riserva''.Robinson, Jancis, ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'', p.212, Mitchell Beazley 1986,


Wine region

The DOC region for Montepulciano d'Abruzzo covers a vast expanse of land in the Abruzzo region between the
Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or  – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...
foothills down to the
Adriatic coast The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...
. The region is one of Italy's most mountainous with more than 65% of all Abruzzo being considered mountainous terrain, reaching up to above sea level. The hillside vineyards, particularly in the northern areas, are planted on calcareous clay and benefit from warm and significant sun exposure, ventilated by dry breezes from the Adriatic Sea.M. Ewing-Mulligan & E. McCarthy ''Italian Wines for Dummies'' pg 188-190 Hungry Minds 2001 Several subzones have been defined in the DOC rules that delineate small areas producing higher quality wines, and impose stricter requirements. These are Alto Tirino, Casauria, Teate, Terre dei Peligni, and Terre dei Vestini. Montepulciano is produced in all four provinces of Abruzzo—
L'Aquila L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 70,967 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valle ...
, Chieti, Pescara and
Teramo Teramo (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Tèreme ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo. The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines (Gran Sasso d'Italia) ...
—with the southern fertile province of Chieti producing the largest total quantity of wine. In the countryside of Atri, which produced a wine called Hadrianum, the first bottle of Montepulciano was labeled. The mountainous province of L'Aquila is noted mainly for the dry '' rosato'' wine labeled as '' Cerasuolo'' and now a separate DOC. The most favorable vineyards are planted in the northern provinces of Pescara and Teramo, the latter now a separate DOCG designation. These northern provinces benefit from having less fertile soils with more ferrous clay and limestone, and higher elevations as the Apennines draw closer to the Adriatic. This creates cooler micro-climates that tend to produce more concentrated wines. In 2014 there were approximately planted in the DOC producing of wine, with more than two thirds of it being produced in the Chieti province.


DOC requirements

Under Italian
wine laws Wine laws are legislation regulating various aspects of production and sales of wine. The purpose of wine laws includes combating wine fraud, by means of regulated protected designations of origin, labelling practices and classification of wine, a ...
, a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC wine must be composed of a minimum of 85% Montepulciano with up to 15% of Sangiovese permitted to fill out the remainder of the wine. Grapes are
harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...
ed to a yield no greater than 14 tonnes per hectare. The wine must be aged for a minimum of 5 months prior to release, and bottles labeled ''Riserva'' must be aged at least two years, including a minimum of 9 months in wood
barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...
s. Additionally, the alcohol level must be no lower than 12%, or 12.5% for ''Riserva''. The DOC subzones have stricter requirements: a higher proportion of Montepulciano, higher minimum alcohol levels, lower cropping yields and longer ageing. For instance, the ''Casauria'' subzone requires wine made only from 100% Montepulciano, a 13% minimum alcohol level (13.5% for ''Riserva''), and 18 months aging (24 for ''Riserva'') including a minimum of 9 months in barrels. The lighter ''rosato'' style wine previously covered by this DOC was separated in 2010 into a new DOC called Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo.


Colline Teramane DOCG

Within the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC region is the smaller Colline Teramane (
Teramo Teramo (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Tèreme ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo. The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines (Gran Sasso d'Italia) ...
hills) DOCG that is produced in the province of Teramo from vineyards planted in
Teramo Teramo (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Tèreme ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo. The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines (Gran Sasso d'Italia) ...
and 30 surrounding communes. Established first as a DOC in 1995, the region was promoted to DOCG status in 2003. The regulations for the wine are similar to Montepulciano d'Abruzzo except that the wine needs to be made from a minimum of 90% Montepulciano with a maximum of 10% Sangiovese permitted.


Wine styles

According to wine expert Oz Clarke, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is often a deeply colored wine with pepper and spice notes. It can be described as "rustic" which Clarke says is less pronounced when the wine is paired with food.O. Clarke ''Oz Clarke's Encyclopedia of Wine'' pg 251 Time Warner Books, London 2003 Master of Wine
Mary Ewing-Mulligan Mary Ewing-Mulligan is an American author, wine educator and Master of Wine, the first American woman to achieve this accreditation.Matasar, Ann B. (2006). ''Women of wine: the rise of women in the global wine industry''. University of California Pr ...
describes the wines as aromatic,
tannic Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanne ...
and with low acidity. According to Italian wine expert Joe Bastianich, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo's can be highly aromatic with earthy notes and black berries and have inky-purple color with a thick, almost syrupy mouthfeel.


Cerasuolo

A separate DOC since 2010, the
rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact method. ...
(''rosato'') style of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is labeled as ''Cerasuolo'' which means "cherry-red" and relates to the deep color the wine gets even with very brief skin-contact with the highly pigmented skins of the Montepulciano grape. According to Bastianich, Cerasuolo tend to be medium-bodied and rather hearty for an Italian ''rosato'' with aromas of orange peel,
cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...
, strawberry and dried cherries. In 2010 the DOC classification was created for the wine, now known as Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo. The term ''Cerasuolo'' can also refer to
Cerasuolo di Vittoria Cerasuolo di Vittoria is a dry red Italian wine from a region around the ''comune'' of Vittoria, Sicily. The only wine with DOCG status in Sicily, it is made from a blend of two Sicilian grape varieties, Nero d'Avola (locally known as ''Calabrese' ...
, an unrelated
DOCG The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”), * ''Indicazione geografica tipi ...
dry red wine from Sicily made from
Nero d'Avola Nero d'Avola (; 'Black of Avola' in Italian) is "the most important red wine grape in Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , ...
and Frappato.


References

{{Wines Red wine grape varieties Wine grapes of Italy Italian DOC Cuisine of Abruzzo