Riding in the slipstream of their more famous Tuscan neighbors, the flashy and high priced Brunellos and Super Tuscans, but attracting far less attention, are the delightful wines of Montepulciano, a medieval hill town in the southeast of the region.
The best of these go by the immodest name of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, but don’t be put off by the grandiose handle, it is mere Italian braggadocio — the wines themselves are charming, delightful and totally without pretension at the same time as commanding prices that are anything but aristocratic.
One of the top producers is Avignonesi and the Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2005 ($27) is about as good as the appellation gets.
Montepulciano
The wine is wonderfully quaffable, the ideal drinking wine as opposed to a sipping and contemplating and discussing wine. It’s full of light, airy freshness backed by succulent, red-fruit flavors and just enough earthy richness to make it really interesting. It has a bit more gravitas than your usual Chianti Classico without the credit card thumping price of the more august Brunellos.
This makes it the perfect wine to share with a group of friends over a casual, laughter-filled supper.
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To find this wine near you try www.wine-searcher.com
A personal favourite in terms of “drinking” wine at a fair price. It is a very relaible dinner party staple: Goes well with many foods, generally enjoyed by everyone and there is no sense of excess if the odd extra bottle gets opened: What we do not want to see is the price start climbing.
All excellent observations!
Nick