Montepulciano Red Wine Variety in Australia 

This variety is not taken all that seriously in Italy, but it is set for a superstar role in Australia.

Where to find Montepulciano in Australia

Montepulciano is a red wine grape variety originating in Italy and now being used by a small number of winemakers in Australia. After Sangiovese it is the second most planted variety in Italy.

A widespread and old grape variety often has many synonyms. All of the following are listed in Wikipedia: Cordicso, Cordiscio, Cordisco, Cordisio, Monte Pulciano, Montepulciano Cordesco, Montepulciano di Torre de Passeri, Montepulciano Primatico, Morellone, Premutico, Primaticcio, Primutico, Sangiovese Cardisco, Sangiovese Cordisco, Sangiovetto, Torre dei Passeri, Uva Abruzzese and Uva Abruzzi.

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 over much of Central and Southern Italy. This variety 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'Abruzzi from the mountainous region of Abruzzi on the Adriatic coast of Central Italy.  Elsewhere in Central and Southern Italy it is often found in blends but there are many varietal wines as well.

Montepulciano in Australia 

Until a just over a decade ago there were virtually no plantings of Montepulciano in Australia. Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Barbera were the Italian red wine varieties attracting the most attention from growers and winemakers.

It is quickly emerging as a very suitable variety for warmer Australian areas and is gaining recognition at regional and specialist wine shows.

• 4382 Terroir Granite Belt
• Alejandro Riverland
• Artwine Adelaide Hills
• Atze's Corner Wines Barossa Valley
• Balancing Heart Wines Granite Belt
• Ballycroft Barossa Valley
• Banrock Station Riverland
• Bassham Wines Riverland
• Big Easy Radio McLaren Vale
• Bird in Hand Adelaide Hills
• Brown Brothers King Valley
• Bruno and George Barossa Valley
• Calabria Family Wines Riverina
• Catlin Wines Adelaide Hills
• Cirami Estate Riverland
• Cloudbreak Wines Adelaide Hills
• Colab and Bloom Adelaide Hills
• Coriole McLaren Vale
• Curator Barossa Valley
• D'Arenberg McLaren Vale
• De Iuliis Hunter Valley
• Delinquente Wine Riverland
• Di Giorgio Coonawarra
• Dr Plonk McLaren Vale
• Dune McLaren Vale
• Dusty Hill Vineyard South Burnett
• Epsilon Barossa Valley
• Evan Evans Barossa Valley
• Feathertop Alpine Valleys
• Forage Supply Co Barossa Valley
• Frederick Stevenson Barossa Valley
• Galli Estate Heathcote
• Georges Folly Currency Creek
• Gibson Barossa Valley
• Good Doctor Wine Group McLaren Vale
• Gracebrook Vineyards King Valley
• Grand Casino Riverland
• Granite Rose Mornington Peninsula
• Haselgrove McLaren Vale
• Head Wines Barossa Valley
• Hesketh Wines Barossa Valley
• Hugh Hamilton McLaren Vale
• Il Cattivo Currency Creek
• Kangarilla Road McLaren Vale
• Kimbolton Langhorne Creek
• Kirrihill Estates Clare Valley
• Kyara Eden Valley
• La Madrina McLaren Vale
• Lino Ramble McLaren Vale
• Lion Mill Vineyards Perth Hills
• Lonely Vineyard Eden Valley
• Lost Penny Barossa Valley
• Loverman Adelaide Hills
• Mallee Estate Riverland
• Marnong Estate Sunbury
• Matriarch and Rogue Clare Valley
• Merindoc Heathcote
• Mr Riggs Wine Company McLaren Vale
• Myattsfield Vineyard and Winery Perth Hills
• New Era Adelaide Hills
• Next Crop Wines Langhorne Creek
• Noble Road Clare Valley
• Oak Works Riverland
• Orbis McLaren Vale
• Otherness Barossa Valley
• Paracombe Wines Adelaide Hills
• Paulmara Estate Barossa Valley
• Peter Drayton Wines Hunter Valley
• Peter Lehmann Barossa Valley
• Pindarie Wines Barossa Valley
• Pirate Cru Barossa Valley
• Press and Bloom Barossa Valley
• Project Wine Langhorne Creek
• Purple Hands Wines Barossa Valley
• Red Feet King Valley
• Ricca Terra Riverland
• Ringer Reef Winery Alpine Valleys
• Robert Stein Mudgee
• Rolf Binder Barossa Valley
• Salena Estate Riverland
• Saltram Barossa Valley
• Savina Lane Granite Belt
• Seabrook Barossa Valley
• Sfera Limestone Coast Zone
• Sieber Barossa Valley
• Signor Vino Riverina
• Silent Noise McLaren Vale
• Sirromet Granite Belt
• Smidge Wines McLaren Vale
• Springton Hills Eden Valley
• St Ignatius Vineyard Pyrenees
• Susuro Port Phillip
• Symphony Hill Wines Granite Belt
• Taylors Clare Valley
• Tenafeate Creek Wines Adelaide Plains
• The Overflow Queensland Zone
• The Pawn Wine Company Adelaide Hills
• Thistledown McLaren Vale
• Tscharke Barossa Valley
• Valentine Yarra Valley
• Via Pola Barossa Valley
• Vineyard 28 Geographe
• Wangolina Mount Benson
• Warburn Estate Riverina
• Way Wood Wines McLaren Vale
• Wedded to the Weather Barossa Valley
• Whistling Kite Wines Riverland
• Woodstock McLaren Vale
• Yarran Wines Riverina

More Italian red wine varieties used in Australia

This variety is one of the 190 grown in Australia. They are featured in the forthcoming book Beyond Shiraz. 

Subscribers to Darby's Vinodiversity Community will get a heads-up on early bird pricing.

Details Here

Order some montepulciano

Our wine merchant partners have a great selection Montepulciano.  Make up your own mixed pack

Monte and food

Italian wines made with this variety are often light to medium bodied and are suitable for the Italian standby foods of pizza and pasta, especially with tomato based sauces.

A few Italian wines and many Australian wines are more substantial with firmer tannins.  These are more enjoyable paired with heartier meat dishes, game sausages and the like.

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