Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a dry, medium to full-bodied red from Tuscany, Italy, made mainly from Sangiovese, locally known as Prugnolo Gentile. Expect ripe cherry and plum with spice, herbs and earthy flavours. It's a brilliant bottle for steak, roast beef, lamb, lasagne, bolognese and rich tomato-based pasta dishes.

Taste:

This is Sangiovese with a little more weight behind it.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is typically dry and medium to full-bodied, with fresh acidity and noticeable but polished tannins. Red cherry, black cherry and plum lead the way, often joined by blackberry, violet, dried herbs and warming spice.

With age, the wine can develop more savoury flavours of tobacco, leather, earth and dried fruit, while oak ageing can bring touches of vanilla and cedar into the mix.

It's richer and more structured than many everyday Tuscan reds, but still has that trademark Sangiovese acidity that makes you immediately start thinking about dinner.

Food Pairings:

Rich Italian food is very safe territory here.

For pasta, try Vino Nobile di Montepulciano with lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, beef ragù, wild mushroom pasta, meatballs in tomato sauce or any rich tomato-based pasta dish.

It has enough structure for red meat too. Pair it with steak, roast beef, slow-cooked beef, beef stew, lamb chops, roast lamb, pork or Italian sausages.

Mushroom risotto, truffle pasta, aubergine parmigiana and roasted vegetables are great meat-free options, particularly when plenty of herbs, Parmesan or Pecorino are involved.

And if Sunday lunch is happening, roast beef or lamb with all the trimmings isn't going to cause any complaints.

Similar Wines:

If you enjoy Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Chianti is an obvious next stop for another classic Tuscan expression of Sangiovese.

Rosso di Montalcino and Morellino di Scansano offer fresher, more approachable takes on the grape, while Brunello di Montalcino is the one to try if you want even more power, structure and ageing potential.

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More About Vino Nobile di Montepulciano:

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano comes from vineyards surrounding the hilltop town of Montepulciano in southern Tuscany. Despite the name, it isn't made from the Montepulciano grape – because apparently Italian wine wasn't confusing enough already.

Instead, the wine must be based predominantly on Sangiovese, traditionally known locally as Prugnolo Gentile, with other permitted grapes sometimes included in the blend.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has DOCG status and must be aged before release, helping give the wine its combination of ripe Tuscan fruit, savoury complexity and structure.

And one final distinction worth remembering: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is Tuscan Sangiovese. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is made from the Montepulciano grape in Abruzzo.

Same word, completely different wine. Cheers, Italy.