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The product
What Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is
The region’s most widespread and best-known red wine.
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC is a red wine made from at least 85% Montepulciano grapes, a variety that finds its ideal home in Abruzzo. It has a deep ruby colour, red-fruit aromas and a soft taste with velvety tannins.
It is drunk young, fresh and fruity, or as a Riserva, aged longer and more complex. Alongside the DOC there are smaller, stricter appellations, such as Colline Teramane DOCG and Villamagna DOC.
Territory
Where it comes from
Montepulciano is grown in all four provinces, on the hills that run down from the mountains to the sea, where the climate combines fresh air from the Majella and Gran Sasso with Adriatic sunshine. The most planted areas are the hills of Chieti and Pescara.
From field to table
How it is made
- The grapes are harvested between late September and October, when fully ripe.
- They are crushed and the must ferments with the skins, which give colour and tannins.
- After pressing the wine matures in steel, concrete or wooden barrels.
- The Riserva matures longer, also in wood, before bottling.
In the kitchen
How to use it
It is the wine of Abruzzo’s meat dishes and sauces.
- With arrosticini, mutton and grilled lamb
- With pasta with ragù, such as chitarra and maccheroni
- With aged cheeses, such as pecorino and canestrato
- Served at 16–18 °C; the Riserva in a large glass
Tips
How to choose and store it
- On the label look for «Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC» and the sub-area name, if any.
- Young Montepulciano is best drunk within a few years; the Riserva can age for a long time.
- Store bottles lying down, in the dark and cool.
- Open it a little before serving, especially a Riserva.
Famous wineries: besides those listed below, the historic names of Montepulciano include Valentini in Loreto Aprutino and Emidio Pepe in Torano Nuovo, known all over the world.
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
Masciarelli
One of Abruzzo’s most famous wineries, founded by Gianni Masciarelli in San Martino sulla Marrucina, in the Chieti hills.
- Address: Via Gamberale, 2 – 66010 San Martino sulla Marrucina (CH)
- Phone: 0871 85241
- Email: info@masciarelli.it
- Website: masciarelli.it
Marramiero
Family winery in Rosciano, in the hills near Pescara, with Montepulciano and Trebbiano vineyards.
- Address: Contrada Sant’Andrea, 1 – 65020 Rosciano (PE)
- Phone: 085 8505766
- Email: info@marramiero.it
- Website: marramiero.it
Gallery
Photos
Tap a photo to enlarge it.
Photo 1: a glass of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo; photo 2: Montepulciano vineyards in Abruzzo. Credits: Agne27 (CC BY-SA 3.0); Peter Forster (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized; the menu icon is also made from photo 1.
Tradition
History and trivia
The Montepulciano grape has been grown in Abruzzo at least since the 18th century. For centuries the wine was made at home and sold loose; in the 20th century cooperative wineries and then private producers made it known beyond the region.
The Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC was created in 1968 and is one of the oldest in Italy. Today it is one of Italy’s most exported red wines.
Did you know? the rosé made from the same grapes, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, has had its own DOC since 2010.