Sandler, Merton; Pinder, Roger (2002-12-19). Wine: A Scientific Exploration. CRC Press. p.66. ISBN 978-0-203-36138-2. a b O. Clarke Oz Clarke's Encyclopedia of Wine pg 251 Time Warner Books, London 2003 ISBN 0-316-72654-0 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 [ edit ] Map of the Abruzzo region and its four provinces where Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is produced

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is an Italian red wine made from the Montepulciano wine grape in the Abruzzo region of east-central Italy. It should not be confused with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a Tuscan wine made from Sangiovese and other grapes. [1] Robinson, Jancis; Harding, Julia, eds. (2015). "Montepulciano". The Oxford Companion to Wine (4thed.). Oxford University Press. p.474. ISBN 978-0-19-870538-3.

Under Italian wine laws, a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC wine must be composed of a minimum of 85% Montepulciano with up to 15% of Sangiovese permitted to fill out the remainder of the wine. Grapes are harvested to a yield no greater than 14 tonnes per hectare. [2] The wine must be aged for a minimum of 5 months prior to release, and bottles labeled Riserva must be aged at least two years, including a minimum of 9 months in wood barrels. Additionally, the alcohol level must be no lower than 12%, or 12.5% for Riserva. [7] In the late 20th and early 21st century, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo earned a reputation as one of the most widely exported DOC wines in Italy. [3]

The lighter rosato style wine previously covered by this DOC was separated in 2010 into a new DOC called Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo. 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. 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 [ edit ] Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is often paired with food. 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]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] Montepulciano d'Abruzzo was first classified as Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) in 1968. The Colline Teramane subzone, established in 1995 as a DOC in the province of Teramo, was promoted to separate Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG) status in 2003 and is now known as Colline Teramane Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. [2] [3] The mountainous province of L'Aquila is noted mainly for the dry rosato wine labeled as Cerasuolo and now a separate DOC. The most favorable vineyards are planted in the northern provinces of Pescara and Teramo, the latter now a separate DOCG designation. [6] These northern provinces benefit from having less fertile soils with more ferrous clay and limestone, and higher elevations as the Apennines draw closer to the Adriatic. This creates cooler micro-climates that tend to produce more concentrated wines. [3]

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 DOC region for Montepulciano d'Abruzzo covers a vast expanse of land in the Abruzzo region between the Apennines foothills down to the Adriatic coast. [5] The region is one of Italy's most mountainous with more than 65% of all Abruzzo being considered mountainous terrain, reaching up to 2,750 metres (9,000ft) above sea level. The hillside vineyards, particularly in the northern areas, are planted on calcareous clay and benefit from warm and significant sun exposure, ventilated by dry breezes from the Adriatic Sea. [6] In 2014 there were approximately 8,718 hectares (21,540 acres) planted in the DOC producing 857,500 hectolitres (18,860,000impgal; 22,650,000USgal) of wine, with more than two thirds of it being produced in the Chieti province. [7] [3] DOC requirements [ edit ] A Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wine labelled as being made from old vines a b c d e f g Bastianich, Joseph; Lynch, David (2005). Vino Italiano: the regional wines of Italy. New York: Clarkson Potter. p.280–3. ISBN 9781400097746. OCLC 76920977.a b c d "Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC". Italian Wine Central. 22 December 2014 . Retrieved 16 November 2018.