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The product
What Colline Teramane DOCG is
The Montepulciano of the Teramo hills.
Colline Teramane Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOCG is a red wine made from at least 90% Montepulciano grapes grown on the hills of the province of Teramo. Yields per hectare are low and ageing is longer than for Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC.
The result is a deeply coloured wine, rich in aromas of ripe fruit and spice, with firm tannins. It is made as Rosso and Riserva.
Territory
Where it comes from
The area covers the hills of the province of Teramo, between the Tronto, Vibrata, Tordino and Vomano valleys, with views of the Gran Sasso on one side and the sea on the other. Clay soils and wide day–night temperature swings give structured wines.
From field to table
How it is made
- The grapes, from low-yield vineyards, are harvested fully ripe, usually in October.
- The must ferments at length with the skins, to extract colour and tannins.
- By law the wine matures for a minimum period, longer for the Riserva, also in wood.
- After bottling it rests further in the cellar before release.
In the kitchen
How to use it
It is a red for important dishes.
- With lamb and mutton, stewed or grilled
- With timballo teramano and pasta with ragù
- With aged cheeses, such as pecorino
- Served at 18 °C, in a large glass, opened in advance
Tips
How to choose and store it
- Colline Teramane is a wine for ageing: the Riserva can wait many years.
- On the bottle look for the government strip that marks DOCG wines.
- Store bottles lying down, in the dark, at a steady temperature.
- If it is old, decant it to separate it from the sediment.
Good to know: the official name is «Colline Teramane Montepulciano d’Abruzzo»; the appellation is now protected by the Consorzio Tutela Vini d’Abruzzo.
Ordering
Where to buy it and whom to contact
Contacts checked on the official websites in October 2026: check availability and prices before ordering.
Consorzio Tutela Vini d’Abruzzo
The consortium that protects Abruzzo’s wine appellations: its website lists the member wineries, the production rules and events.
- Address: Corso Matteotti – Palazzo Corvo, 66026 Ortona (CH)
- Email: info@vinidabruzzo.it
- Website: vinidabruzzo.it
Illuminati
Family winery in Controguerra, in the Val Vibrata: it makes Colline Teramane DOCG and Controguerra DOC wines, including passito.
- Address: Contrada San Biagio, 18 – 64010 Controguerra (TE)
- Phone: 0861 808008
- Email: info@illuminativini.it
- Website: illuminativini.com
Gallery
Photos
Tap a photo to enlarge it.
Photo 1: the Teramo hills at Torano Nuovo (TE), August 2024. Credits: Giorgio Galeotti (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized; the menu icon is also made from it.
Tradition
History and trivia
Because of their particular soils and climate, producers in the Teramo hills wanted to distinguish their Montepulciano from that of the rest of the region, first as a sub-area of the DOC.
In 2003 the Colline Teramane sub-area became a DOCG: Abruzzo’s first controlled and guaranteed designation of origin.
Did you know? Torano Nuovo, in the heart of the area, is home to one of Abruzzo’s most celebrated wineries, Emidio Pepe.