If you're like me, you live life on a budget (well, I try to at least). And this week's Italian wine region is one of my favorites for wallet-friendly reds. Just northwest of Rome, along Italy's Adriatic coast is the Abruzzo region. It's most famous for the Apennines, a mountain range that serves up sweeping landscapes and scenic vistas. For wine drinkers, however, it's also famous for one of Italy's biggest bargains.
Montepulciano (mon-te-pull-channo), or as you'll more often see it, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, is known for being lush, fresh and juicy — everything you could want in a won't-break-the-bank bottle.
Before I go further, it's important to point out one of the most confusing issues in all of Italian wine: Montepulciano is a grape, and the "d'Abruzzo" part means "from the Abruzzo region." It's simple enough, except when you realize that there's another Italian wine called Vino Nobile de Montepulciano which is actually a wine made from the grape sangiovese (just like Chianti from last week's column ...) from a town called Montepulciano. I'm not sure which — the grape or the town — got its name first, but I promise you that this level of confusion is very on brand for Italian wine.
Vigneti del Sole Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC ($12)
I think I must have sold an entire shipping container of this wine over the course of my career, and I'm pretty sure that in the summer of 2015, I drank enough of this to qualify for Italian citizenship. This is one of those rare under-$15 wines that's worth the hype.
Caldora Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC ($15)
This is a perfect pizza wine (especially if you're getting Pizzeria Ruby near Johnson). Look for notes of Bing cherry, dried plum, and just enough of a tannic bite to wash down a greasy slice of pepperoni.
Podere Castorani Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC ($16)
Here you'll find notes of thyme, blueberry, vanilla, chocolate and tobacco. The grapes were hand-harvested and spent a full year aging in oak barrels. Do yourself a favor and try it with a smoky barbecue sauce.
Torre Zambra "Madia" Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC ($16)
The grapes for this wine came from the Madia vineyard high in the hills above the small commune of Villamagna. From a relatively young vineyard — vines here range from 10-15 years old — this wine offers a unique freshness to its dark, red-fruit flavors.
Lunaria Coste di Moro Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC ($17)
Impenetrable ruby red color, the nose is intense of red fruit and black cherry jam, light notes of cocoa and toast complete its bouquet. The palate is warm, fairly tannic, soft, intense, with the typical almond finish.
As always, you can see what I'm drinking on Instagram at @sethebarlow and send your wine questions and quibbles to sethebarlowwine@gmail.com