“An opened bottle of wine evolves, and all of its complexity and flavors develop over the course of a meal,” said Simone Abram of Il Macchione winery during dinner in Montepulciano, Italy. “The last sip is always the best sip.”

A winemaker after my own heart! Early in 2020, during Anteprime Toscana, an annual preview of Tuscany’s top wines, I spent two days in Montepulciano assessing the newly released Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Tasting several wines in this way, one right after the other, is a great way to rapidly learn about different wine regions and wine producers, yet it always feels a bit like how I imagine speed dating to be: too brief to reveal what a person (or a wine) is all about, beyond the sometimes misleading first impressions.

Wine was never intended to be tasted so quickly, and I agree with Abram that the best way to get to know a wine is to enjoy it with food. Montepulciano’s world-class Sangiovese-based wines are the kind that, when opened, blossom remarkably well over a few hours. These are wines that speak to you, easily holding down their end of the conversation. As good wines are meant to do, they tell a story in the glass while you break bread with friends and family.

**Speed “dating” Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Wines.**

A Noble Wine and a Wine For Nobles

Appropriately called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, the wines were hailed by poet and scientist Francesco Redi in the 1600s who declared that “Montepulciano is the king of all wines!” The wine held onto its stellar reputation in the following century as a favorite in Europe’s royal courts, and retained its renown into the 1800s.

Across the ocean, American president Thomas Jefferson was singing the praises of Vino Nobile, a favorite wine of his, and one that he always kept in stock. He is credited with saying, “For the present I confine myself to the physical want of some good Montepulciano, this being a very favorite wine, and habit having rendered the light and high flavored wines a necessity of life with me.”

The wine’s popularity continued into modern times despite a drop in quality during the mid-20th century when, like most Italian wine regions, the focus was more on quantity than on quality. It was during the 1980s, when quality-driven winemaking made a big comeback in Italy, that Vino Nobile became one of the first Italian wines (along with three other greats: Barolo, Barbaresco, and Brunello di Montalcino) to be granted top quality DOCG status, an honor it holds today.

Note: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, translated as ‘Noble wine from Montepulciano’ and made from mostly Sangiovese, is not to be confused with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, which means ‘Montepulciano from Abruzzo,’ a wine made from the Montepulciano grape in Abruzzo, on Italy’s eastern central coast. Read more about the Abruzzo wines here.

The Charm of Montepulciano, Up in the Hills of Tuscany

The Tuscan hilltop town of Montepulciano is known as the “Pearl of the Renaissance” due to its magnificent 16th century architecture. Just a 90-minute drive south of Florence, Montepulciano is one of the highest hilltop towns in the area where visitors can easily explore the many beautiful squares (piazzas) adorned with stunning ancient palaces. Many of these buildings have towers rising above them that offer excellent vantage points of the scenery below.

**Palazzo Comunale, standing tall in the Piazza Grande (the large square).**

Palazzo Comunale, now the town hall, is one such palace. Visitors are able to climb the building’s clock tower to capture magnificent views of the surrounding countryside — where neat rows of Sangiovese (called Prugnolo Gentile here) quietly grow, soon to become the world famous Vino Nobile di Montepulciano red wine.

And far beneath the village’s narrow cobblestone streets, there is another attraction: an incredible network of tunnels and caves. Used to store and age the wines during the Etruscan period, they are a unique testament to the area’s long winemaking history. Visiting these musty old cellars with their massive oak casks (only a handful of which are still used to store wine) is like stepping back in time to a whole other world.

**Palazzo Ricci, completed in 1562, is one of the most beautiful Rennaissance palaces in Montepulciano. The steps lead to De’Ricci Winery’s underground cellars, once called the “Wine Cathedral.”**

**Narrow Village streets of Montepulciano.**

The Wines: Production and Taste

The soil in Montepulciano is rather uniform, dominated by Pliocene marine sediments and rich with marine fossils. it is characterized by alternating layers of clay and sand. Photo: @Valdipiatta on Instagram — **The soil in Montepulciano is rather uniform, dominated by Pliocene marine sediments and rich with marine fossils. it is characterized by alternating layers of clay and sand.** *Photo: @Valdipiatta on Instagram*

Like other DOCG regions of Italy, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has its own set of strict guidelines concerning the wine’s viticultural and production regulations. Most importantly, it is required that the grapes for Vino Nobile come from the hills surrounding the village, and that the wine be made with a minimum of 70% Sangiovese; the remainder can consist of other authorized red and white local varieties.

The wines must undergo at least two years of aging (three years for Riservas), with a minimum of one year in oak barrels before being released to the market. Rosso di Montepulciano, on the other hand, is a juicy and youthful wine released a little more than a year after harvest and meant to be consumed young.

In terms of numbers of producers, Montepulciano is small, made up of about 80 wineries. Depending on the producer, Vino Nobile can come in a range of styles, from fresh and fruity to rich and complex with great aging potential. The wine is typically described as having notes of wild cherry, raspberry and plums, accented with violet and spices, along with a palate cleansing acidity and firm tannic structure. Unlike its much pricier neighbor Brunello, Vino Nobile is considered a great value wine that can usually be found between $20 and $35.

Six Vino Nobile Producers To Have a Conversation With

Like all other wine regions, the best producers always find a way to make good wine, regardless of the vintage or the category of wine (entry level or top-of-the-line). Here are six Montepulciano wineries to take note of, and the excellent wines that drew me to them.

Tenuta Trerose This gorgeous estate includes a 500 year old villa surrounded by five vineyard- covered hills. The wealth of unique-facing slopes and variety of soils, ranging from sand and silt to clay, contributes to the many nuances of the estate’s wines. Wine to try: 2016 Trerose Simposio Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva, an elegant Vino Nobile with a distinct and engaging lightness amid wonderful notes of cherry and leather. Outstanding!

Salcheto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2017. This organic and biodynamic estate focuses on bright wines that express the fruit they are made from. The wines are produced using native yeasts, and without the addition of sulfites. Wine to try: The 2017 Salcheto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is often described as balanced with soft tannins. Even though 2017 was a hot and dry year, this Riserva, while full-bodied with a ripe fruitiness, shows a good balance between the fruit, alcohol and acidic elements.

Valdipiatta. This organic winery, founded in the 1980s by Giulio Caporali and now run by his daughter Miriam, has made a name for itself as one of the top Vino Nobile producers. The Valdipiatta vineyards are an oasis of biodiversity where wild plants co-exist with the vines, helping to preserve the pure expression of terroir in the wines. Wine to try: The 2016 Valdipiatta Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, made from 95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo, is an intense ruby red color, with aromas of blackberries, raspberries and cherry, along with floral notes of violets, and hints of spices and tobacco. Medium-bodied on the palate, with a mineral quality and an enlivening acidity, this well-balanced wine has smooth tannins and a long fruity finish. Delicious with braised lamb and pasta with spinach, peas and roasted tomatoes.

Canneto. The winery, owned by Swiss company Canneto AG, was founded in the 1970s by Swiss friends with a passion for Vino Nobile. The farm consists of 48 hectares, 30 of which are under vine, with 16 used for the production of Vino Nobile, and 4 devoted to olive groves. Wine to try: 2016 Canneto Selezione ‘Casina di Doro’ Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a wine that will wow you. Full-bodied with strong cherry, blackberry and herbal notes and a hint of leather, its soft, velvety tannins and zippy acidity marries well with the fruitiness. Pair with a meat and cheese platter.

Bindella. The winery was established in 1986 and spans 127 hectares, 38 of which flourish with vines and twelve with olive trees. Always on the lookout for new opportunities, in 2004 the winery created the first Sauvignon Blanc vineyard in Montepulciano, of which they have had great success with. Wine to try: 2017 Bindella I Quaddri Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a powerful and delicious wine with notes of balsamic, dark chocolate and espresso. With strong, grippy tannins, this is a wine to hold onto for another 10 years, but certainly enjoyable now with the right meal, something hearty like Osso Bucco.

Icario. A baby by the region’s standards (founded in 1998 and with new owners in 2015), the winery is already making a name for itself. Wine to try: The impressive 2017 Icario Vino Nobile has inviting whiffs of dark fruit on the nose (cherry, plum, and blackberry), along with distinct tomato-like and aromas. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied with firm, ripe tannins. Well balanced, with bright acidity, spiciness and a long, slightly bitter (in a good way!) finish, this wine would make wonderful conversation with braised meats and pungent cheeses.

There are many other excellent Vino Nobile producers. Others to be on the lookout for include Boscarelli, Carpinetto, Casa al Vente, Contucci, Croce di Febo, Dei, De’Ricci, Fanetti, FassatiGattavecchi, Il Molinaccio, Montemercurio, La Braccesca, La Ciarlina, Lombardo, Poliziano, Romeo, and Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano.