Montepulciano certainly is one of the most famous and important red berried grapes of Italy. Mainly common in the region of Central Italy, Montepulciano is mainly identified with Abruzzo, the region in which it is also the most common and cultivated red variety. It is right in this region which is made one of the most renowned wines produced with this grape - Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - which in the last recent years, also thanks to the efforts and the good results achieved by producers, was successful in becoming among the most important wines of Italy, known everywhere in the world. Nevertheless, up to some tens of years ago, Montepulciano was considered, and not only in Abruzzo, a grape capable of making “ordinary” wines lacking of interesting qualities according to an organoleptic and enological point of view. As it happened for other grapes, the tenacity of producers, convinced with the grapes of their land was possible to make great wines, as well as the use of quality wine making techniques, also Montepulciano made a miracle and in few years it reached the top of Olympus.

 Montepulciano is also found in vineyards of Marches - with which it is produced, among the many, Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno - Molise, Apulia, Umbria, Latium and, marginally, Apulia, Sardinia and Calabria. Famous for its excellent coloring qualities and for the quantity of extracts, Montepulciano has been used for years as a bulk grape, destined to give color and body to other wines, also thanks to its good production qualities. For this reason and for many years, Montepulciano has been cultivated with low quality principles, as its usage was mainly destined to the mixing with other grapes, once considered more noble. Indeed, when quality viticultural concepts are adopted, Montepulciano is capable of giving great wines, rich, thick and robust, rich in aromas that with time can give complexity to the nose of any careful wine taster. Thanks to the quantity of polyphenols and alcohol, quality wines produced with Montepulciano can in fact age in the bottle for many years, even more than 10 years in the best cases.

 Montepulciano is a grape which tends to ripe later than other varieties, therefore its cultivation can be easily adapted to the areas with a mild climate also at the end of summertime and at the beginning of autumn. This characteristic in fact determines its geographic spreading, typically central and southern Italy. Among the many expressions of Montepulciano, the most famous wine certainly is the one produced in Abruzzo, whose wines will be the protagonists of our comparative tasting. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, according to the production disciplinary, can be released for consumption after March 1st following harvesting, or after at least two years of aging for the “reserve” style. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is generally aged in cask, however the aging in barrique is also frequent. Thanks to the quantity of sugar contained in this grape, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a wine with a pretty high alcohol by volume, sometimes higher than 14%.

	The three Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wines of our comparative tasting

 Our comparative tasting will examine three Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wines in order to study the organoleptic qualities of this grape and the influence of the aging in wood according to the style and the choices done by each producer. The three wines of our comparative tasting will also allow the study of the huge wine making potentials of Montepulciano and its robust body. The first wine of our comparative tasting is Marramiero's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Inferi, produced with mixed techniques, of which 24 months in steel tanks and 18 months in barrique. The second wine is Illuminati's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Zanna, completely aged for 26 months in cask. The last wine of our comparative tasting is Masciarelli's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Villa Gemma, aged for 36 months, of which 24 in barrique. The three wines will be served at the temperature of 18° C (65° F) and we will use - as usual - three ISO tasting glasses.

 Despite in past times Montepulciano was not considered that much for the production of mono varietal wines, however it has always been blended with all those grapes that - despite of their fame - were not capable of making wines rich in color. Montepulciano in fact has a good quantity of coloring substances, therefore in its wines transparency will be pretty low and the color will show very intense and deep hues. During its youth, wines produced with Montepulciano will clearly show this quality, with intense and deep ruby red color and evident nuances of purple red. Whereas purple red nuances will tend to disappear within two or three years - according to the quality of grapes and of wine making techniques - Montepulciano will show evident ruby red hues which will change into garnet red after some years of aging in bottle, whereas the nuance will change into garnet red color just after some years of aging.

 The first wine of which we will examine appearance is Marramiero's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Inferi. By keeping the glass tilted over a white surface - a cloth or a sheet of paper will do - we will begin the evaluation of the intensity of color by observing the liquid mass at the base of the glass. This first wine will let us understand the appearance qualities of Montepulciano: pretty low transparency and a very intense ruby red color. By observing nuances - at the edge of the liquid mass towards the opening of the glass - we will notice the same color. Also the evaluation of the second wine - Illuminati's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Zanna - confirms the appearance qualities of Montepulciano: low transparency, deep ruby red color and ruby red nuances. The transparency of the third wine, Masciarelli's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Villa Gemma, is even lower than the previous two wines, with a very deep ruby red color and evident ruby red nuances.

 The olfactory profile of Montepulciano is mainly characterized by the world of red and black berried fruits, as well as flowers, in particular in young wines. Thanks to its qualities, Montepulciano is generally aged in cask - frequently the barrique as well - however in some cases it is preferred to age it in inert containers, such as steel and cement. The choice of the container used for aging, of course, largely influences on Montepulciano's olfactory qualities, therefore contributing to the development of tertiary aromas. The aging of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is generally made on cask and barrique, therefore in this wine we will frequently find tertiary aromas derived from wood. Black cherry and plum are the most typical and frequent aromas of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, whereas the main representative of the world of flowers is violet. Among other fruit aromas which can be found are mentioned blueberry, blackberry and raspberry, whereas, as for flowery aromas, it is sometimes possible to find cyclamen.

 The first wine of which we will examine aromas in our comparative tasting is Marramiero's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Inferi. By holding the glass in vertical position and without swirling, we will proceed with the first smell in order to evaluate opening aromas. From the glass will emerge aromas of black cherry and plum - the typical opening of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - to which will follow the aroma of blackberry. Let's now swirl the glass in order to favor the volatilization of the other aromatic components and then we will proceed with a second smell. The aromatic profile of the wine will be completed by perceptions of blueberry and violet, followed by an interesting sequence of tertiary aromas of vanilla, cocoa, tobacco, licorice, cinnamon, mace and a pleasing hint of black pepper. Despite this wine is aged for 24 months in steel tanks, the following 18 months of aging in barrique have contributed - with balance and harmony - to the development of tertiary aromatic qualities.

 Let's now proceed with the evaluation of the second wine of our comparative tasting: Illuminati's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Zanna. By holding the glass in vertical position, we will proceed with the evaluation of opening aromas which will be characterized by aromas of black cherry, plum and violet, also in this case very typical of Montepulciano. After having swirled the glass, we will proceed with a second smell in order to complete the olfactory profile of the wine. From the glass will be perceived aromas of blueberry and blackberry to which will follow tertiary aromas of vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa, tobacco, licorice as well as a pleasing hint of black pepper, also in this case fruit of the aging in cask. The opening of the third wine - Masciarelli's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Villa Gemma - is characterized by black cherry, plum, blackberry and violet to which will follow, after having swirled the glass, aromas of black currant and blueberry completed by aromas of vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa, pink pepper, tobacco, licorice, leather, mace and a pleasing balsamic hint of menthol, result of the aging in cask for 24 months.

 Wines produced with Montepulciano, or better to say, with Montepulciano grapes from quality vineyards, are always characterized by a pretty robust structure. In fact, it is not rare to find a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo with powerful and robust bodies, a characteristic which is also produced by the aging in cask or barrique. The concentration of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - produced with quality criteria - will be one of the first characteristics to be perceived to the mouth, with a pretty evident astringency. Another gustatory characteristic of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is represented by its alcohol by volume, generally being pretty high - it is not rare to find a wines with more than 14% - a characteristic which is also useful for reaching a good balance with structure and astringency. The persistence of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is generally very good and it is not rare to find wines with pretty long taste-olfactory persistence.

 The first wine we will examine in the gustatory phase is Marramiero's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Inferi. The attack of this Montepulciano confirms the typical qualities of this wine: an evident astringency well balanced by alcohol and roundness, as well as an excellent correspondence to the aromas perceived by the nose, in particular black cherry and plum. The attack of the second wine - Illuminati's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Zanna - is characterized by a pretty evident astringency and body, however well balanced by alcohol. Despite the robust attack, it should also be noticed the good and pleasing roundness of this wine. Full body is also what we perceive in the last wine of our comparative tasting - Masciarelli's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Villa Gemma - to which is also perceived an evident astringency well balanced both by roundness and alcohol, in this case being of 14.5%. It should be noticed how in all the three wines it is possible to perceive an excellent correspondence to the nose and a good roundness given by the aging in cask or barrique.

 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a wine generally having a very good taste olfactory persistence, very long persistence in case of wines produced with quality criteria. The finish of Marramiero's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Inferi is persistent, leaving in the mouth evident and clean flavors of black cherry, plum and blackberry, very agreeable. Also the finish of Illuminati's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Zanna is persistent and very clean, leaving in the mouth the typical flavors of black cherry and plum to which also follows the flavor of blueberry. The finish of Masciarelli's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Villa Gemma is very persistent and robust, leaving in the mouth long and clean flavors of black cherry and plum - once again, typical and identifying qualities of Montepulciano - to which follows a pleasing and clean flavor of blackberry. The history of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, which certainly has endless and important pages still to be written, can be defined as a “happy end” tale. Once considered as an ordinary wine - this is how it was defined more than 20 years ago - today Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is one of those important wines distinguishing Italian enology in the world.