Winemaker Notes
Montepulciano is best enjoyed with savory dishes, such as Bolognese, creamy pastas, and high-protein pizzas.
Co-founded by Katie Lee Biegel, Kind of Wild is a collection of global wine discoveries devoted to regenerating the planet. Kind of Wild partners with top growers around the world who farm healthy soils to craft premium, kinder wines that are certified organic and certified vegan. They've torn the label back and ventured into the wild to return with this collection of world-class wines made with organic grapes. We've all been buying organic produce and other naturally sourced foods. We've tasted the difference and felt better for it. But it seems finding exceptional wine made from organic grapes is a little harder. That's why Kind of Wild was started.
When you choose Kind of Wild wines, you’re buying more than wine. You're supporting growers across the globe who believe in creating a sustainable future by improving soil health, diminishing soil erosion, keeping natural waters free from chemicals and having a positive, lasting impact on the local ecosystem. They believe by supporting these growers; they can encourage others to adopt organic and regenerative farming.
Montepulciano is the second most planted red variety in Italy after Sangiovese, though it is achieves its highest potential in the region of Abruzzo. Consistently enticing and enjoyable, Montepulciano enjoys great popularity throughout central and southern Italy as well. A tiny bit grows with success in California, Argentina and Australia. Somm Secret—Montepulciano is also the name of a village in Tuscany where, confusingly, they don’t grow the Montepulciano grape at all! Sangiovese shines in yet another Tuscan village, here making the reputable wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
A warm, Mediterranean vine-growing paradise, in Abruzzo, the distance from mountains to seaside is relatively short. The Apenniness, which run through the center of Italy, rise up on its western side while the Adriatic Sea defines its eastern border.
Wine composition tends to two varieties: Abruzzo’s red grape, Montepulciano and its white, Trebbiano. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo can come in a quaffable, rustic and fruity style that generally drinks best young. It is also capable of making a more serious style, where oak aging tames its purely wild fruit.
Trebbiano in Abruzzo also comes in a couple of varieties. Trebbiano Toscana makes a simple and fruity white. However when meticulously tended, the specific Trebbiano d’Abruzzo-based white wines can be complex and long-lived.
In the region’s efforts to focus on better sites and lower yields, vine acreage has decreased in recent years while quality has increased.