Mastering Wine

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo showcases wine in Las Vegas

Recently, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo held a wine tasting and Master Class in The Four Seasons in Las Vegas. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo became one of Italy’s most widely exported DOC wines starting in the late 20th century and continuing into this year.

The Consorzio Vini d’Abruzzo experience featured first-hand the wonders of the Abruzzo region. The esteemed Master Sommelier Brandon Tebbe and Abruzzo Consortium Brand Ambassador Davide Acerra presented the signature Montepulciano grapes during the educational and fun Master Class and Guided Tasting.

Abruzzo is one of Italy’s best-kept secrets. It is a diverse region offering unspoiled breathtaking landscapes and quaint villages rich in history and rapidly receiving worldwide attention for its beauty and uniqueness.

By Debbie Hall

The Consorzio di Tutela dei Vini d’Abruzzo (Consortium for the Protection of Wines of Abruzzo) is a nonprofit association comprised of all the entities forming part of the control system, which aims to protect, enhance and take care of the interests relating to the controlled designations of origin of the regional territory. Attendees tasted and learned about the characteristics of one of their esteemed wine designations Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. This is an inviting intense red wine with a characteristic ruby red color, the unmistakable fragrance of red fruits, flowers, and spices—the dry, soft, and moderately tannic flavor.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is produced from the Montepulciano wine grape in the Abruzzo region of Italy’s central/eastern region. The DOC region covers a vast expanse of land between the Apennines foothills down to the Adriatic coast.

One of Italy’s most mountainous regions, over 65% reach up to 9,000 feet above sea level. The hillside vineyards, especially in the northern areas, are planted on calcareous clay benefitting from sun exposure and ventilated y dry breezes from the Adriatic Sea.

Several subzones are defined in the DOC rules delineating small areas that produce higher-quality wines with stricter requirements. These are Casauria, Teate, Alto Tirino, Terre dei Peligni, and Terre dei Vestini.

Montepulciano is produced in all four provinces of Abruzzo—Pescara, L’Aquila, Chieti, and Teramo—since the fertile southern province of Chieti produces the most extensive total quantity of wine. In the countryside of Atri, which produced a wine called Hadrianum, the first bottle of Montepulciano was labeled.

The mountainous province of L’Aquila is noted mainly for the dry Rosato wine was labeled Cerasuolo as a separate DOC. Other vineyards are planted in the northern provinces of Pescara and Teramo (a separate DOCG designation). These Northern provinces feature less fertile soils with more ferrous clay and limestone at higher elevations. This creates cooler microclimates that tend to produce wines that are more concentrated.

For more info, visit vinidabruzzo. it/en and follow on Facebook and Instagram @ vinidabruzzo.