Saturday, September 5, 2015

The Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Terramane with Cerelli Spinozzi

Earlier this week I provided a brief overview of the Abruzzo region highlighting it's terrain, typical food and wines. Today for our 11th #ItalianFWT event our group of bloggers present to you our experiences through food, wine and travel to this region.

Grapes of Abruzzo
The top grapes of this region including the white grape, trebbiano d'abruzzo, also know as ugni blanc in France. It's a high acid wine, without much flavor extracted and is usually light and crisp with apple flavors. The rose' produced in the region is known as cerasuolo d'abruzzo made of the montepulciano grape that is a hearty rose' with notes of dried fruits and strawberries. Above all dominating the region's well known wines are montepulciano d'abruzzo. A late-ripening variety it's deep colored, plump, low acid and an accessible wine in its youth. About two thirds of the production comes out of the Chieti province.
Map of the Abruzzo wine region
Abruzzo wine region map copyright of Federdoc
The 1 DOCG of Abruzzo
There is plenty of everyday montepulciano produced under the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC that can be simple and juicy depending upon the producer, but if you're looking for some of the top quality montepulciano of this region seek out the 1 DOCG known as Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane in the north. It was granted this status to differentiate itself from the rest in 2002. 

The Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from the Colline Teramane DOCG requires 90% montepulciano and 10% sangiovese.  The regular Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from this DOCG is required to be aged 2 years where the riserva has an extra year at 3 years.To learn more about the wines from this DOCG check out the Consorzio di Tutela Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane site.

I'm sharing with you a wine from the producer, Cerelli Spinozziwhom is located close to the Gran Sasso mountains. It's their 2009 Tenuta Cerelli Spinozzi Torre Migliori Montepucliano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane DOCG. According to Banfi Wines, “Cerulli owns 10% of the DOCG's 100 hectacres” and the Torre Migliori comes from this specific area. This wine is made 100% from the montepulciano grape.

2009 Cerulli Spinozzi Torre Migliori2009 Tenuta Cerelli Spinozzi Torre Migliori Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane DOCG
Color: ruby red
Nose: Earthy, dark fruit, black cherry, spices
Palate: Medium body, dry, warm (14% alcohol), smooth, good acidity and tannin
Aging: 2 years in oak and an additional 6 months in the bottle.
Retails $17 (Wine Searcher)

About Tenuta Cerelli Spinozzi
Tenuta Cerelli Spinozzi is a joint venture of two families, Cerelli Irelli and Spinozzi. The winery was started by the two Cerelli Irelli brothers, Francesco and Vincenzo, in 2003 and is today run by Enrico, the son of Vicenzo. His approach to winemaking and running the winery today consists of replanting the vines, while tending to some of the 30 year old vines at low yields to produce higher quality grapes. He has enabled the consulting wine expertise of famous consultant, Franco Bernabei.

Organic in their winemaking, Tenute Cerelli Spinozzi produces wines made from the montepulciano, pecorino, trebbiano and chardonnay grapes. Their two vineyard sites are located in Canzano and Mosciano with about 50 acres in total situated near the Gran Sasso mountains. The Abruzzo region is mostly dominated by co-ops by about 85% and Enrico's grandfather is known for being the founder of Casal Thaulero, one of the large cooperatives in Abruzzo.

I hope you get to experience the quality montepulciano grape from the Teramane area so you can decipher the major difference between your everyday montepulciano and those of the DOCG.
Colline Teramane DOCG wines of Abruzzo
Colline Teramane ~ Hills of Teramane by Silvia Malatini
Follow along the Abruzzo journey with my other Abruzzi fans and make sure to join us next month on October 3rd as we will be covering the region of Umbria.  You can also chat with us live this Saturday morning 9/5 at 11am EST on Twitter at #ItalianFWT.  Hope to see you there!

Rockin' Red Blog - The Natural Wonders of Abruzzo
Italophilia - An American in Abruzzo
Confessions of a Culinary Diva - Abruzzo Comfort Food & Wine
Cooking Chat - Pizza Pairing: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo for #ItalianFWT
The Wining Hour - 3 Wine & Food Pairings with Gusto from Abruzzo
Food Wine Click - Aruzzo 1st Course: Farro and Butternut Squash Soup with Passerina
Culinary Adventures with Camilla - Polpi in Purgatorio
Enofylz Wine Blog - Grilled Lamb Lollipops with Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Tralcetto

Ciao ciao for now.


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