Smart Monte is on this wine

THERE’S not much cheap any more but there are wines I’d say are definitely cheerful.

Among them has to be Montepulciano d’abruzzo, a wine that’s usually pretty fruity, not tannic, has a nice zip of acidity and is generally not offering up layers of oak induced complexity.

You’ll often find some reference to pizza in any spiel about Montepulciano d’abruzzo. But if there’s anything that’ll cheer you up, it’s nice pizza and a glass of juicy and easily enjoyed vino.

As said, there’s nothing too cheap any more, but Montepulciano d’abruzzo isn’t a wine you’ll find drifting too far north of a tenner and there’s plenty at around £8 in the supermarkets.

As an aside, I vaguely recall a time when £8 was, if not a splash out wine, certainly heading that way. Herself found a lecy bill from 12 years ago the other day and the bill for the quarter was half what it is now.

Sadly, this is where we’re at so let us find some joy for as little as possible.

Now if, in your search for a bottle you come across one that’s closer to £20 check it isn’t a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

I’ve mentioned this before,

but to refresh, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is made with Sangiovese in the Tuscan town of Montepuliciano whereas Montepulciano d’abruzzo is made in the Abruzzi district using Montepulciano. I know!

In the

Marche

region, BBR says, it is blended with Sangiovese to produce Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno though I’ve yet to have the pleasure of these wines. There are too, some producers who are striving to produce age worth wines from old vines with oak ageing etc. Hopefully they start exporting them over this direction and I might well buy a bottle if oil ever falls back below £200 for 500 litres.

The one I had the other night was a Fantini. A rather slick looking bottle I thought, but a lovely wine within. As expected medium body, sweet cherry, little tannin, but not one dimensional juice by any means. A definite faintly chewy, slight leather note was hovering the background. What’s more, and this is all important in terms of value, it seemed to last well with the air pumped out and I got a few days from my bottle.

That’s something I expect more from a tannic wine, but was a pleasant surprise.

Give one of these a try and see what you think.

Let us find some joy for as little as possible