Check out my monthly wine review for my friends over at Life in Abruzzo, published 2 August 2010.  If you enjoy summer BBQs Italian style, then this wine is for you!

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I think whether or not you consider yourself a wine aficionado there will always be bottles that you remember, and for me one of these is the Capestrano Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  Whilst I have not enjoyed this label for a long time, when I did the other day it immediately conjured up memories. This wine is one I have shared with many friends & family, and being able to enjoy it again (on my birthday!) not only brought a smile to my face but it solidified its place in my “got-to-have” wine list as a must.

If there is one thing that I think sets Abruzzese wines apart from other regions in Italy it’s drinkability. Take it from someone who has been drinking wine longer than I would like to admit, Abruzzo is often overlooked in comparison to Tuscany (for example); but this charming and rugged province rarely produces a bad bottle. The Montepulciano grape is a sturdy one, and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is dry, slightly fruity, and while usually consumed young has softer tannins (in my personal experience many people are turned off by super-tannic wines, and most winemakers will tell you if something is too tannic then it needs to remain in the cellar for sometimes up to ten more years).

The Capestrano Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from its inception was a great idea: bring great quality to wine lovers without costing them a fortune (a bottle retails between US$9 to US$12 depending on the vintage). Located at the foothills of the Gran Sasso mountains, this wine was named after the small town of Capestrano which is home to a unique microclimate of warm days and cool nights. Between the favourable growing conditions and the care used to produce this wine, it is an excellent representation of the Abruzzo-Molise tradition.

A beautiful plum colour in the glass, this 2007 wine is rather forward in its aromas of spice, dark plum, black raspberry, and other earthy notes. It does not require much aeration, but like most red wines, will benefit from it. On the palate it could almost be described as resembling fresh jam due to strong notes of dark berry balanced by natural acidity and fairly medium tannins. Black raspberry dominates the finish, but some of the spice and robust earth that first hit the nose round everything out quite nicely with each and every sip.

If you are looking for a wine that will hold up against strong foods (i.e. wild game) and grilled meats (particularly good for the summer barbecue season), then the Capestrano is an excellent choice. In very typical Abruzzo fashion I shared a feast of lamb, grilled sausage, and veal with my family, and the wine most certainly held its own. Whenever I think of this wine I can’t help but compare it to an old friend; it’s dependable, fair, and even after an absence, treats you so well you can’t ever imagine spending time apart again.

As always, this is my monthly wine review for my good friends over at Life in Abruzzo.  Go check them out to learn all about “L’regione verde di Europa!”

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I will be the first to admit I had not heard of Villadoro Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wine until I was shopping around for something worthy of a review, but as you will soon see, I think I stumbled on the surprise of the month.

Like many wines from the rustic Abruzzo landscape, Villadoro’s deep ruby hues are a tell-tale sign of rich soil, but that’s where the commonality to other wines of the region ends.   Immediately to the nose I knew this was going to be unlike others I’ve sampled because it did not have that typical fruit-driven scent.  In fact, there was a strong smell of smoke and slight spice and that was all prevalent within seconds of pouring my first glass.

The Villadoro was nothing like what the label had described since it said the wine should be fruity when it was anything but that. To the contrary, it was on fuller-bodied side for an Abruzzo wine and gave off great notes of smoke and spice.   there was fruit present on the palate, it was prevalent in the finish and was predominately that of black cherry and deep berry which was a great transition from a somewhat bold beginning. I thought this bottle was playing tricks on me because it was such a departure from the average regional wine and how the Montepulciano grape tends behave. Even after a few glasses and much breathing, the Villadoro still did not act as “fruity” as the label wanted me to believe and it was almost like drinking a baby Negroamaro from Puglia.

In an extreme case of happenstance, pairing this wine with food was nothing short of serendipitous.  My latest food obsession has focused on Croatia thanks to a friend from a small town that during his youth was actually part of Italy.  I specifically went to a market in search of Balkan goods and the wine was a perfect match for some ajvar spread on a rustic bread and ćevapčići (pronounced “chee wap chi chi”), which is basically Croatia’s answer to the hamburger. Combine small, grilled pieces of spicy beef on bread plus ajvar – a tapenade of tomato, eggplant, garlic, vinegar, and paprika – and it’s as if this dish was made for this unique wine.   Assuming you cannot find Croatian delicacies near you, do not hesitate to have this wine with meat dishes or pastas. In my opinion the Villadoro would be an amazing compliment to one of Abruzzo’s signature dishes of strozzapretti with a wild boar ragú.

Taking into account all the wonderful surprises this wine provided me in the course of an evening one might think I could not have been any happier, but I saved the best for last: I managed to find a magnum of the Villadoro 2007 for US$11.99! With all these good things stemming from just one bottle of wine, there is no excuse why you should not have this in your home.

Check out my monthly wine review for my lovely friends over at Life In Abruzzo.  This review was originally published on their website on 18 May 2010.

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If you have experience with Abruzzese vintners then you know that the name Farnese is associated with bargain wine. Do not be alarmed by the moniker of “bargain” because inexpensive wines these days rarely mean poorly made, but rather affordable and ready to drink.

In 1582 Princess Marguerite Farnese fell in love with the town of Ortona. Sandwiched between the Adriatic and the Maiella Massif, the Princess adored the landscape so much she did what any royal would have done: she purchased the entire town. Farnese commissioned a palazzo and lived there happily in her own slice of paradise, but thanks to her and her family’s cosmopolitan nature, Farnese wine became respected and was found on banquet tables of European high courts. Although the Farnese family has not owned the label for generations, their successors in pure gratitude have kept the name and adapted the old world traditions to modern day.

As a wine lover I found this 100% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo to be more medium in body, but while sharing two bottles with my family over dinner some argued it approached the low-end of the full body scale. To the nose there is that mark of any good Abruzzo wine – ripe raspberries – and along to follow were definite hints of dark raisin and a distinct creaminess that prevents the fruit from seeming too sharp. To the palate the berry permeates almost throughout but as it fades there is the slightest hint of licorice before giving way to the unique infusion of French Oak.  (Farnese wines are cured in French and American oak barrels.)

This particular wine seems to be made with meat in mind because it pairs extremely well with salamis, as well red meats. My family and I enjoyed the first bottle over some antipasti plus polpettini in a fresh tomato sauce with shavings of parmigiano and my brother’s favourite, arancini. As we continued onto the secondi piatti the Farnese transitioned nicely to compliment osso buco and veal chop alike.

While being a delightful wine for its stability, I will warn those of you with a honed palate that this Montepulciano will bore you if you are looking for sophistication.  It is still a great bottle and a terrific buy, so if you are looking for a wine everyone would love for an event or are new to the wine world, this is a great place to start. With a price tag of roughly $8 — $10 (£6-£8) per bottle in stores ($30/£15 in a restaurant), the Farnese Montepulciano is an easy win and one of those labels that should always be on your wine rack.

Below you’ll find my latest wine review for my friends over at Life in Abruzzo about the region’s wines.  This specific bottle I picked up can be found aplenty and after you read my thoughts about it, I think you’ll be grabbing a bottle or two yourself!

Also, don’t forget to visit Life in Abruzzo regularly to learn about the goings on in one of Italy’s most magical regions: I guarantee you it will make you want to go plan a trip right away!

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Cantina Zaccagnini’s Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is as popular in New York as it is back home in Abruzzo.  Walk into any wine shop and ask for something from this region of Italy and I guarantee you that eight out of ten shops will have the Zaccagnini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, and more than likely it will be the 2006 vintage.

A beautiful wine any time, this medium-bodied red was bright in colour with slight interpositions of garnet: a rather attractive wine just to stare at!  The first sip I must admit took me by surprise because while I expected it to be fruit forward, the initial taste was a large bouquet of strawberry, raspberry, and sweet plum. While I have to admit I was taken aback by this berry burst of sorts, I decided to let it sit for a few minutes and see what happened.

This Montepulciano d’Abruzzo opens up nicely and once it is truly ready to drink it is supremely balanced. While the fruit will always remain on the front of the palate—a tell tale characteristic of this kind of wine—there are some wonderful earthy notes to its finish. There are some nice wood and solid tanins here, and with the right pairings some of the otherwise slight smokiness and light spice do come through.  Another impressive trait here is the wine’s consistency: it will not fight you and it is wonderfully pleasant whether you are eating something
or just sipping.

As far as pairings are concerned I love it with more delicate meats and foods that will help accentuate the wine’s more earthy finish. It worked rather well with a small antipasto of semolina bread, a young pecorino and  bresaola, since the beef being slightly thicker than your average carpaccio provided just enough flavour on the tongue. To follow, the Zaccagnini worked beautifully with some sautéed veal cutlets and broccoli di rape with golden raisins and crushed hot pepper. (A rather Abruzzese meal if I do say so myself!)   The spicy and sweet from the rapini and the earthiness of the veal made for a perfect interplay.

Just as it would be for any wine varietal, one can spend a lot of money or choose to spend a little.  The Zaccagnini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a great value locally at $14.99USD/£10.90/€9.00 and it can definitely stand up to the more expensive Montepulciano d’Abruzzos out there for $60.00USD or more. This is definitely one of those situations where if you can, stock up on this wine; even if you do not want to buy a case, you can feel better about saving some money with a few bottles and taking your leftover change and splurging on more cheese and meat!

As if I couldn’t be any more proud to be Abruzzese via my maternal Grandfather, the owner of a wonderful website–Life in Abruzzo–contacted me recently and asked me to be a guest writer for the webzine and travel guide.  Once a month I will be providing wine reviews of various bottles from the region and below you will find my first which was published earlier today.

In between my monthly reviews please go and check out Life in Abruzzo both on the website and follow them on Twitter for the latest updates on all things Abruzzo!

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With multiple estates mostly concentrated in Teramo and Chieti, this specific Montepulciano d’Abruzzo was first produced in 1981 when Gianni Masciarelli decided to enter the wine business and follow his passion. Containing grapes from his estates in Teramo and Pescara, this wine is deep ruby red in colour and was rather surprising to me in how it delivered.

To the nose this wine seems intensely fruit-forward with discernable notes of raspberry and cherry, yet in its early delivery the expected bouquet was not what I got, but rather I tasted more tobacco and earth than the berries I smelled moments before.  This wine is somewhat deceiving in that respect. Another unexpected occurrence here was how long it took this wine to open up: I always let red wines breathe but this one took an exceptionally long time to reach its full potential.  It seemed so light and once it finally opened up after about twenty minutes I finally started to taste some of the plum and berry notes I figured I would be tasting from start to finish.  Other notes present besides the aforementioned are red currant, which along with the smoky tobacco hints made for a nice balance overall.

This is a great wine to keep around as something to enjoy a glass of while relaxing at home, but I do not think it has a lot of pairing options.  Since this wine is in the light-medium range in body, it is best enjoyed with cheeses such as Fontina Val d’Aosta, a young Pecorino (no older than 8-14 months aged), or one of my personal favourites, scamorza.  Each of these cheeses will bring out the earthier notes in this wine that are faint in comparison to the fruity notes and will balance well with the wine overall.

If you would like to pair this with a meal, lightly seasoned pork or lamb will be most suited and if they are grilled even better.  I myself prepared some pork and once the wine opened up the two worked together brilliantly.

This wine is actually meant to be enjoyed young according to its maker, and I can see why: since I only had access to a 2006 one can tell that its individual essences become very blurred over time and therefore lose their respective intensities.  A great bargain, this wine retails anywhere between USD $8 — $13 per bottle (depending on the vintage), so buy plenty and drink often!