Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The coastal hill and foothill zone of Abruzzo extends over a strip approximately 20–25 kilometres wide and approximately 125 kilometres long, from the Tronto river to the Trigno river.
• The soils derive from Plio-Pleistocene deposits in which yellowish siliceous sands overlie clays with sand, often interbedded with layers of silt, gravel, and clay.
• Vineyards can reach 700 metres above sea level, with variable slopes and aspects that are favourable to phenolic ripening when south-facing.
• Mean annual rainfall exceeds 800 mm, with the wettest period falling between November and December at over 80 mm per month and an absolute minimum in July of around 30 mm.
• The climate is temperate, with mean annual temperatures ranging from 12 °C in April to 16 °C in October, tending towards hot and dry conditions in July and August with averages of 24–25 °C.
• The Winkler heat summation index, calculated as the mean active temperature over the April–October period, falls between 1,800 and 2,200 degree-days within the production zone.

• The earliest historical record of the Montepulciano variety in Abruzzo appears in Michele Torcia's work Saggio Itinerario Nazionale pel Paese dei Peligni, dating from 1792.
• The Montepulciano d'Abruzzo appellation, recognised in 1968, has traditionally used the pergola abruzzese as its principal training system, although single and double spalliera forms have been spreading increasingly over recent years.

• The wine shows an intense ruby-red colour with slight violet hues, tending towards garnet with ageing.
• The typical nose is characterised by red fruits such as cherry and blackberry, while aged wines show notes of preserves and spices such as pepper, tobacco, and liquorice.
• The palate is dry, lightly tannic, velvety, and harmonious.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A0723
• Official trade body site — Consorzio Tutela Vini d'Abruzzo