Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is an
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo was first classified as
In addition to Montepulciano, up to 15% Sangiovese is permitted in the blend. Wines aged by the maker for more than two years may be labeled Riserva.[4]
Wine region
The DOC region for Montepulciano d'Abruzzo covers a vast expanse of land in the Abruzzo region between the
Several subzones have been defined in the DOC rules that delineate small areas producing higher quality wines, and impose stricter requirements. These are Alto Tirino, Casauria, Teate, Terre dei Peligni, and Terre dei Vestini.[7]
Montepulciano is produced in all four provinces of Abruzzo—L'Aquila, Chieti, Pescara and Teramo—with the southern fertile province of Chieti producing the largest total quantity of wine. In the countryside of Atri,[8] which produced a wine called Hadrianum,[9] the first bottle of Montepulciano was labeled.[8]
The mountainous province of L'Aquila is noted mainly for the dry
In 2014 there were approximately 8,718 hectares (21,540 acres) planted in the DOC producing 857,500 hectolitres (18,860,000 imp gal; 22,650,000 US gal) of wine, with more than two thirds of it being produced in the Chieti province.[7][3]
DOC requirements
Under Italian
The DOC subzones have stricter requirements: a higher proportion of Montepulciano, higher minimum alcohol levels, lower cropping yields and longer ageing. For instance, the Casauria subzone requires wine made only from 100% Montepulciano, a 13% minimum alcohol level (13.5% for Riserva), and 18 months aging (24 for Riserva) including a minimum of 9 months in barrels.[7]
The lighter rosato style wine previously covered by this DOC was separated in 2010 into a new DOC called Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo.
Colline Teramane DOCG
Within the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC region is the smaller Colline Teramane (Teramo hills) DOCG that is produced in the province of Teramo from vineyards planted in Teramo and 30 surrounding communes. Established first as a DOC in 1995, the region was promoted to DOCG status in 2003.[3] The regulations for the wine are similar to Montepulciano d'Abruzzo except that the wine needs to be made from a minimum of 90% Montepulciano with a maximum of 10% Sangiovese permitted.[6]
Wine styles
According to wine expert
Cerasuolo
A separate DOC since 2010, the rosé (Italian: rosato) style of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is labeled as Cerasuolo which means "cherry-red" and relates to the deep color the wine gets even with very brief skin-contact with the highly pigmented skins of the Montepulciano grape. According to Bastianich, Cerasuolo tend to be medium-bodied and rather hearty for an Italian rosato with aromas of orange peel, cinnamon, strawberry and dried cherries.[3] In 2010 the DOC classification was created for the wine, now known as
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-19-870538-3.
- ^ ISBN 1-55297-720-X
- ^ OCLC 76920977.
- ISBN 1-85732-999-6
- ^ ISBN 0-316-72654-0
- ^ ISBN 0-7645-5355-0
- ^ a b c d "Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC". Italian Wine Central. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ a b Deviti, Gaudenzio (7 April 2019). "Quell'avventurosa storia del Montepulciano d'Abruzzo" [That adventurous history of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo]. il Centro (in Italian). Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-203-36138-2.
- ^ "Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Wine". Wine-Searcher. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ "Cerasuolo di Vittoria wine". Wine-Searcher. Retrieved 29 November 2017.