Organic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
If we’re talking Italian regions, then you might not have heard of the Abruzzo. The calf of Italy’s boot, if you’re looking from above. Famous for its mountains and beaches – ski in the morning and sunbathe in the afternoon, if that’s how you like to roll.
And it’s justly famous for its red wines. Montepulciano is a bit of an all-rounder and the king-pin grape of Central Italy. It’s not hard to see why – super smooth and juicy, with ripe, dark fruit and a touch of spice. And guess what – it’s made from organically certified grapes – wine as the wine gods intended.
So make like the Italians and go grab a bottle for that big bowl of spaghetti or your Friday night pizza. Just hold the pineapple.
Geek Fact: This beautiful corner of Italy has more than its fair share of famous people who lay claim to Abruzzo origins, including Madonna, Ariana Grande, Bradley Cooper and Dean Martin (look him up).
The larger branches of Waitrose have an ever increasing range of interesting organic wine of which this is a stunning example. There is a lot of body to this wine, oodles of juicy dark berry fruit and some soft tannins to add structure (so not quite an alcopop). Having taught myself everything I know from Oz Clarke and Jilly Goolden I can confidently say I was getting mulberries…and maybe the odd blackberry too. The magenta colour is also stunning. My only complaint is the bottle is so dark I struggle to see how far down it I have travelled…inevitably too far too soon. Price point wise this benefitted from a 25% discount without which I would still be happy to purchase some more of this one.
Lee