Rosso di Montepulciano from Dei winery

As many of you know I am getting married in Italy in October.  I  wanted to write about some of the various towns that I will be visiting, including Montepulciano featured today.

Piazza Grande - Montepulciano

Last weekend I went out to eat in the seaport at Salvatore's in Boston and enjoyed a bottle of Dei Rosso di Montepulciano.  Two famous wines produced in this area include Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Rosso di Montepulciano. 

Rosso di Montepulciano and Vino Nobile are made up of at least 70% of the Sangiovese grape clone, Prugnolo Gentile. For those of you that don't know, Sangiovese is the primary grape used in making Chianti. Don't confuse these wines today with the grape Montepulciano. That actually comes from the Abruzzo region.

What are the differences between Vino Nobile di Montepulciao and Rosso di Montepulciano?

Some of the biggest differences between Vino Nobile and Rosso di Montepulciano are the aging requirements and yields.  Rosso di Montepulcianno is aged in a much shorter time for about 6 months where Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is required to be aged at least 2 years with at least 6 months in the bottle. Riservas age for 3+ years. There are usually larger yields for Rosso compared to Vino Nobile and the vines are typically younger. With that comes cost as typically Rosso di Montepulciano are less money than Vino Nobile.  Vino Nobile earned DOCG status back in 1980 while Rosso is DOC status. 

Some big producers to keep an eye out from this region are Avignonesi, Poderi Boscarelli, Contucci, La Braccesca, Dei and Poliziano. I have visited a couple of these estates in the past and their quality was fantastic! 

Pairings with Rosso di Montepulciano and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

 

Tuscany in general, especially around this area, is known for

their Bistecca alla Fiorentina. It's from the white chianina cows and is served rare. I'm not one for rare meat, but it's phenomenal. Enjoy it with some of these great wines and the experience is a complete joy!

bistecca alla fiorentina -  sourced from Flickr

If you have visited this region leave a comment with where you have been and what you have enjoyed. I love to hear of recommendations and experiences.

alleys of Montepulciano

Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe