red grape · regional staple
Montepulciano
Abruzzo, Italy
Say it
mon·teh·pul·chah·noh
The 'ci' digraph in Italian renders as 'ch'; primary stress falls on the CHAH syllable (antepenultimate).
On the palate
Body
medium full
Acidity
medium plus
Tannin
medium plus
Aromatics
pronounced
black cherryred plumblackberryvioletdried herbstobacco
How you spot it blind: inky color with disproportionately soft tannins; violet over dark fruit
The story
First written down · 1793, Valle Peligna near Sulmona, Abruzzo, Italy
DNA profiling confirmed Montepulciano is genetically unrelated to Sangiovese, definitively resolving the historic confusion caused by shared naming with the Tuscan town of Montepulciano.
Where it lives
Abruzzo, Italy · Marche, Italy · Molise, Italy
Shows up as
still redroséMontepulciano d'Abruzzo DOCCerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOCColline Teramane DOCGRosso Conero DOC