You like red wine, it’s official!

As with all bloggers I like my posts to be read. Knowing that there are people who regularly come back for more is a great motivator. I recently had a look at my blog’s stats and was surprised by one in particular. The first and second most popular phrases that bring people to my blog are Marina Cvetic and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. The blog gets hits for many reasons but these subjects consistently rank highest.

For those of you who don’t know, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is the grape variety of red wine from Abruzzo and Marina Cvetic, apart from being a person’s name, is a range of wines from the Masciarelli Azienda.

So there you have it. Even though Abruzzo has fantastic beaches, breathtaking mountains and picturesque villages the one thing that this blog’s readers are most interested in is red wine.

To be fair I can’t blame you. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is scrummy! If you are lucky enough to be in Abruzzo itself you’ll pick up a very nice bottle for less than €5. You can even get 5 litres of very tasty table wine for €8. If you are willing to spend a little bit extra you’ll start getting a lot more complexity for only €10 a bottle.

Marina Cvetic costs about €20 and I think it is worth every penny. It’s a beautiful wine with plenty of flavour and complexity. But there are many others to choose from, all using the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo grape, but each different, representing the character and personality of the producer. Inferi from Marramiero, San Zopito from Torre Raone and Pan from Bosco are really lovely alternatives to Marina Cvetic. Not that I wouldn’t encourage you to drink Marina Cvetic, but it is always good to try something different!

The first time I stayed in Loreto Aprutino I was woken every morning to the sound of bottles clinking. Not one or two bottles, more like the sound of crates of bottles. I thought there must be a bottle bank nearby or perhaps deliveries are surprisingly early in the centro storico (historical town centre). But I couldn’t find a bottle bank and there weren’t any shops in the vicinity. So what was happening?

Later, walking up the steps that led towards Lauretum, where I was staying, I heard the clicking again and noticed an open cellar. I had a look and saw five men bottling wine. Intrigued I stuck my head in, asked what was happening and was offered a glass of red. The wine tasted special. Later I found out it was Valentini, a wine that I have only seen in restaurants, usually priced around €100! At that price it’s way out of my league, but it was great to have the chance to taste it.

There are plenty of other great red wines from Abruzzo. The wines I’ve mentioned are the ones I’m most familiar with. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo does not get the same press as wines from other regions of Italy but I think they are well worth trying. Go on, risk it, and let me know what you think.

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