An Italian red wine variety with a future in Australia

First let's clear up some confusion about the name. Montepulciano is the name of both a grape variety and a town in Tuscany. This can cause problems as the wine and the town are not connected. There is a red wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano which is in fact made from the Sangiovese grape variety around the town of Montepulciano in Tuscany.

The grape variety Montepulciano is planted in Central and Southern Italy. It ripens late in the season and is thus unsuitable for the cooler northern regions of Italy.

Montepulciano the grape variety has its most noteworthy expression is in the wine Montepulciano d'Abbruzzo from the mountainous region of Abruzzi on the Adriatic coast of Central Italy. In Italy Montepulciano is also known Cordisco, Morellone, Primaticcio, Uva Abbruzzi.

The wines made from this variety are typically full bodied with deep colour, spicy and plummy flavours and high levels of tannin. They usually need some bottle age. You can pair them with hearty Italian cuisine or with sharp cheeses.

A handful of growers use the variety in Australia. Tscharke in the Barossa Valley of South Australia who released a 2004 vintage Montepulciano were first on the scene. Other Australian producers include Banrock Station in the Riverland as well as Castle Glen (Granite Belt), Epsilon and First Drop Wines in the Barossa.

At the 2006 Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show Tscharke's Montepulciano 2005 won a Gold medal. In the 2007 AAVWS Tscharke followed on with a Gold for the 2006 vintage in the "Other full bodied varieties" class.

We will probably see more Australian Montepulciano over the next few years. Bring them on!

Montepulciano is one of 184 grape varieties described in De Long's Wine Grape Varietal Table.