Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2007, Abruzzo, Italy

I'm sitting in my living room with good friends, sipping on this friendly Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.  I picked up this bottle via a process much like eeny-meeny-miny-mo with my mother today at World Market.  I'm due to pick up and leave in a few days, and Mom and I needed some quality wine for some quality time.  This wine seemed a natural pick- Montepulciano wines are a virtual lock with me- I've never met one I really didn't like.  


The nose on this wine is pretty and simple.  It has notes of sweet red currant and an intensity that makes it interesting.  The first sip gives almost the same impression.  It's a simple, intense, only moderately complex Italian wine with red fruit flavors and a hint of pepperiness.  If you like Merlot or Chianti, this is something you should try.

Technical Info:

Varietal: 100% Montepulciano 

Alcohol: 13% 

Origin: Abruzzo, Italy

Price: $10 at World Market

Rachel's Grade: B- This wine is a solid, reliable mainstay.  It would make for a great table wine with any meat, cheese, or pasta.  It's interesting enough for me to finish the bottle, but not quite great enough for me to buy another bottle tomorrow.  For the price, it's a great deal.  Maybe I spent too long in Tuscany... two months of Chianti 24/7 is.... an experience.