Going the full Montepulciano

To say that the second most planted grape variety in the second largest wine producing country is an “alternative” variety seems a little odd, but in Australia that is just what it is.

In 2017, there was just 271 tonnes of Montepulciano fruit sold across Australia, roughly 0.09 per cent of the 296,171 tonnes sold of Shiraz in that year. Its ubiquity in Italy and relative obscurity in Australia makes it a happy hunting ground for wine-lovers seeking something a little different without having to pay a fortune.

Oddly enough, the home of Montepulciano is not the town of Montepulciano.

The town of Montepulciano is the heart of the famous wine by the name of Vino nobile di Montepulciano, which is made from Sangiovese.

Montepulciano the grape finds it home further east in Central Italy, in the regions of Abruzzo and Marche.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is the most well-known bottling of the variety, while good quality wines are also made a little further north in Conero and Piceno located in the Marche region which marks the northern most region in which the grape can reliably be grown.

Montepulciano is a pretty vigorous variety, but it can be a little temperamental and deciding when to pick it is crucial, where other high yielding varieties like Merlot may be a little more forgiving. Find the right place to grow it, restrain the yields a little and you have wines that offer some character, food friendliness and bold fruit flavours at relatively low prices.

The red and black fruits will draw lovers of Shiraz or warm climate Cabernet Sauvignon, a little earth, liquorice and pepper are all familiar flavours to our local tastes and finally the ripe, soft tannins will rarely be too much for an Australian palate.

Many Italian varieties can either present too much acid, tannin or sweet fruits for the average Australian palate. Montepulciano from Abbruzo balances some bold fruit flavours, with moderate or low acidity and just enough soft tannin to give it some structure and balance the fruit.

If you are looking for a little more structure in the way of tannin and acid look further up the price/quality scale or look towards Conero and Piceno further north. But for great every day drinking wines with a slightly different feel give these examples a go:

Agriverde Montepulciano d’Abbruzo – $19
Liquorice, black fruits predominated by black cherry and plum as well as some very subtle floral notes make this quite complex for its price point. The palate is again dominated by fruit but it is well balanced by a hint of spice and some slightly chewy tannins.

Farnese Fantini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – $17
In comparison to the Agriverde, this wine really hangs its hat on bold fruit. It smells of red and black fruits, with only a touch of spice. The palate continues the theme with ripe fruit, soft mouthfeel and a dry finish. It is only medium-bodied but the carries plenty of bold flavour.