Montepulciano is one of the oldest wine production place in Italy. Its wine already had a reputation in late VIII Sec. (more than 1200 years ago) and it’s mentioned several times since the Middle Ages in trades and in literature.
In modern times, the wine produced in Montepulciano continued to be appreciated and obtained the DOC Denominazione di Origine Controllata (State’s Denomination of Controlled Origin) in 1966 (one of the first in Italy) and then DOCG Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (Guaranteed Origin) in 1980.
Rosso di Montepulciano and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano are the two red wines produced within the vineyards surrounding the town of Montepulciano, Italy.
The wine is made primarily from the Sangiovese grape varietal (known locally as Prugnolo gentile) minimum 70%, blended with Canaiolo Nero 10%–20% and small amounts of other local varieties such as Mammolo. The wine is aged in oak barrels for 2 years; three years if it is a riserva.
The wine should NOT be confused with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, a red wine made from the Montepulciano grape in the Abruzzo region of east-central Italy and in other part of the world.
A good general rule of thumb to avoid this confusion is if you see Montepulciano at the end of a wine name, it’s the place (i.e. Nobile di Montepulciano of Vino Rosso di Montepulciano). If it is in the beginning or has anywhere the word “Abruzzo”, that’s the grape varietal.
The Montepulciano wine has a deep ruby red color with violet highlights tending to garnet with aging . Its aroma is intense, ethereal, floral. The taste is dry, well balanced and persistent, with a possible hint of wood (especially for the Reservas).
The wine pairs well with elaborate dishes such as rich pastas, grilled or roasted pork, lamb, beef or game, and flavorful aged, cheeses. Local restaurants offer endless regional recipes matching the wine. The favorite are Pici (a local sort of noodles) with duck or boar sauce, Fiorentina t-bone steak, coniglio (rabbit) roasted with red wine or stewed with herbs and olives.
Winery Tour or Cellar Tour?
At the present there are 80 wineries in Montepulciano, all members of the local Wine Producers Association (Consorzio Vino Nobile). You can see the full list here: https://aziendeconsorziovinonobile.it/en/
Most of the winery are family run and are very small. The small ones are no organised for wine tour and offer no or minimal assistance to visitors. Language is also an issue as most of the producers speaks no English.
A car is mandatory as there is no public transportation in the countryside and most of the wineries are remotely located and far from main roads. The Wine Producers Association organize some collective tours during high season but quite expensive. An alternative to driving (and wasting time finding the wineries) is to hire a guide with car.
All the main producers have their own point of sale in town sometime nested in historic building with spectacular cellars. You can visit the cellars, sample their wine, buy a bottle to enjoy in your apartment or order few more to be shipped at home. Major producers have their own importers in other countries. If you like their wine, it may be cheaper to buy the wine through the local importer than shipping it at home (especially for no EU countries).
“Cellar crawling” is a far more enjoyable and safer experience than driving around to visit a winery that in most case has nothing to show but some wine-making machinery.
The wine of producers without its own sale shop can be purchased from town’s wine shops (called Enoteca) offering a collection of all local wines. A good example is Enoteca Dolce Vita: www.enotecaladolcevita.it. In the Enoteca you can also compare wine from different producers at the same time and follow the suggestions of the knowledgeable owner (Christian) in order to find your perfect wine match.
Visiting the many excellent town’s restaurants and order some local wine can be an excellent way of sampling the different wines and you may get a hint for a winery or a wine shop to visit.
My personal suggestion is therefor to focus on visiting the historic cellars, shops and restaurants in town and arrange one or two visits to major winery off the countryside. See some suggested wineries below.
The local Wine Producers Association “Strada del Vino Nobile” https://www.stradavinonobile.it/en/ information office located in Piazza Grande (behind the well) will offer all the information about the cellars, tasting and wine related event and tours. This should be your first stop in your wine tour.
Some reputed wineries to vist:
Avignonesi
Production Zone: Valiano
Fattoria le Capezzine, via della Stella, 1 – 53045 – Valiano di Montepulciano
Tel. 0578724304 – ax 0578724308
info@avignonesi.it
www.avignonesi.it
Bindella
Production Zone: Argiano
Via delle Tre Berte – 53045 – Acquaviva di montepulciano
Tel. 0578767777 – Fax 0578767255
info@bindella.it
www.bindella.it
Boscarelli
Production Zone: Cervognano
Via di Montenero, 28 – 53045 – Cervognano
Tel. 0578767277 – Fax 0578766882
info@poderiboscarelli.com
www.poderiboscarelli.com
Canneto
Production Zone: Canneto
Via dei Canneti, 14 – 53045 – Montepulciano
Tel. 0578757737 – Fax 0578758573
cantina@canneto.com
www.canneto.com
Corte alla Flora
Production Zone: Cervognano
via di Cervognano, 23 – 53045 – Acquaviva di Montepulciano
Tel. 0578766003 – Fax 0578766700
corteflora@tin.it
www.corteallaflora.it
Croce di Febo
Production Zone: Paterno
via di Villa Bianca, 2 – 53045 – Montepulciano
Tel. 0578799337 – Fax 0578799337
info@crocedifebo.com
www.crocedifebo.com
Crociani
Production Zone: Centro Storico
Via del Poliziano, 15 – 53045 – Montepulciano
Tel. 0578757919 – Fax 0578756896
info@crociani.it
www.crociani.it
Fanetti
Production Zone: Bossona
Via Antica Chiusina, 15 – 53045 – Montepulciano
Tel. 0578716716 – Fax 0578716716
agriturismo@tenutasantagnese.com
www.tenutasantagnese.com
Gattavecchi
Production Zone: Centro Storico
Loc. S.Maria – 53045 – Montepulciano
Tel. 0578757110 – Fax 0578758644
info@gattavecchi.it
www.gattavecchi.it
Le Berne
Production Zone: Cervognano
Via Poggio Golo, 7 – 53045 – Cervognano di Montepulciano
Tel. 0578767328 – Fax 0578767328
leberne@libero.it
www.leberne.it
Montemercurio
Production Zone: Martiena
Via di Totona, 25/A – 53045 – Montepulciano
Tel. 0578716610 – Fax 0578716610
vini@montemercurio.com
www.montemercurio.com
Poliziano
Production Zone: Gracciano
Via Fontago, 1 – 53045 – Montepulciano Stazione
Tel. 0578738171 – Fax 0578738752
info@carlettipoliziano.com
www.carlettipoliziano.com
Tenuta Valdipiatta
Production Zone: Bossona
Via Ciarliana, 25/a – 53045 – Montepulciano
Tel. 0578757930 – Fax 0578757930
info@valdipiatta.it
www.valdipiatta.it