Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 420 Torri Cantine 2021

Montepulciano is a grape exclusive to Italy which gives a deep coloured, soft, juicy, and approachable wine, even when drunk young. When it is made with attention on quality rather than quantity the Montepulciano grape turns into a delicious, velvety red wine. Montepulciano grows everywhere in Central Italy and to a lesser extent in Southern Italy. Many believe that Montepulciano originated in Abruzzo while others reckon that this grape arrived in Abruzzo from Tuscany with the Medici family. Beyond its origin, Montepulciano is strictly associated with the Abruzzo region; Montepulciano d’Abruzzo was indeed the first Italian DOC appellation that includes the entire region.

Montepulciano is one of Italy’s most planted grape varieties. More precisely, Montepulciano sits behind Sangiovese as being the second most planted variety in Italy. Montepulciano is a workhorse and a very generous grape. It is known for producing reliably high yields. A fact which unfortunately contributes to the view that Montepulciano is a simple grape used for bulking out wines and selling to the mass market.

Montepulciano has a thick skin which gives wines with naturally high levels of both tannins and colour. Being a late-ripening variety Montepulciano needs a long, sunny growing season to ripen slowly and fully. Abundant sunshine and a caressing warmth are therefore key factors. The berries experience asynchronous maturation in the same bunch and it is very important that the pips ripe properly otherwise the wine can be "green” or bitter. Too often in Abruzzo, Montepulciano is grown using the “tendone” pruning system which translates in English as “big tent”. This a high-yielding system which, if not effectively managed, does not let the grapes to ripen properly and fully.

The best Montepulciano come from the hills around the town of Teramo in Northern Abruzzo where the grape finds outstanding growing conditions to ripe. Montepulciano 4 20 from Torri Cantine is one of them. The grapes are picked on stony-loam soil at 300 meters above sea level from a 30-year-old vineyard with optimal exposure and low yields in Controguerra, a village north of Teramo on the border with the Marche region. An ideal microclimate and an optimal diurnal temperature variation, together with organic techniques of cultivation, enhances the typical flavours of Montepulciano grapes.