Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: Making Wine in the New Normal

BY ERIC GUIDO | OCTOBER 12, 2023

Returning to Montepulciano warms my heart. Not only has the region moved forward by leaps and bounds qualitatively, but also in communication, marketing and, most importantly, a willingness to better understand their terroir. Going back only five years ago, there were only a handful of wineries worth keeping tabs on, but that number has grown substantially. Much of this concerns a paradigm shift amongst producers who have realized that consumers crave a more transparent Vino Nobile that focuses on Tuscany’s primary variety, Sangiovese, and less on the heavy use of oak and significant additions of international varieties. As a result, Italy’s first DOCG wine has made a serious comeback, and the future appears to be very bright. 

Looking out across the southern reaches of Montepulciano.

Montepulciano is a wine-tourist and food-lover’s paradise, all centered in a charming, yet significantly larger than you’d expect, fortified hilltop town that is accessible and easy to traverse on foot. Montepulciano offers a wide selection of excellent restaurants, wine bars, hotels, shopping, live performances, panoramic countryside views, art and stunning architecture. Moreover, wine lovers can experience winery tours through historic caves that reveal centuries of history beneath the bustling city streets, along with the conveniently located and welcoming Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano–all without ever leaving town.  

Last year's article, “Terroir and Determination: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano,” went into considerable detail about the region, the intricacies of the aging requirements of Vino Nobile and the new Pieve designation. Readers might like to revisit that article for context on those topics, as little has changed, naturally outside of the vintages covered in this report. What’s more, the new Pieve designation will be a major topic of discussion next year when the 2021s, the first vintage, enter the market. There is a rumor that producers may be able to approve wines from the 2020 harvest retroactively for Pieve, yet I’ve yet to see anything labeled as such. That said, a few facts are worth repeating for readers who may not have experience with the region. 

The wine of Montepulciano, not to be confused with the grape variety found primarily in Abruzzo, has a long-standing history. Even Thomas Jefferson, a well-documented wine lover and writer (I highly recommend reading “Thomas Jefferson on Wine” by John Hailman), sang its praises. Yet even before that, documentation of wine being produced within its borders goes back to the eighth century. The town is in southeastern Tuscany, south of Chianti Classico, east and slightly north of Montalcino, bordered by the Val d’Orcia. The region's fame helped Vino Nobile become the first DOCG in Italy, joined by Brunello and then Barolo and Barbaresco.

Old vine Prugnolo Gentile in the Talosa vineyards.