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James Suckling 90 Points

"Rich yet lifted, offering dark berries, citrus peel, sweet spices and crushed stones on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied and intense, with crunchy acidity and firm tannins shaping a gently exposed structure."

Winemaker Notes

100% Montepulciano grape from the hills of Abruzzo, Italy. Medium purple-red color with violet hues. The nose opens with red berries and spicy nuances of white pepper. On the palate, it develops harmoniously between fruity sweetness and savory freshness, with gentle tannins and refreshing acidity leading to a smooth finish.

About the Wine

Cantina Zaccagnini is one of Italy’s best-known and best-loved producers of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, combining traditional winemaking with a modern approach. The iconic twig tied around the bottle’s neck is their signature — a nod to the vineyard and a mark of authenticity. This is an everyday Italian red that consistently over-delivers for the price.

Tasting & Pairings

Red cherry, plum, black cherry, white pepper, and subtle earthy notes. Medium-bodied with gentle tannins and refreshing acidity. Serve slightly chilled (55–60°F) for a fresh, easygoing red.

• Pizza and pasta with meat sauce — the classic pairing, and the reason this wine exists.
• Grilled meats or charcuterie — the fruit and acidity cut through richness beautifully.
• Aged cheeses or mushroom dishes — the earthy notes and gentle tannins complement savory flavors.

Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2024

Masciarelli is one of Abruzzo’s most celebrated and influential estates, founded by the visionary Gianni Masciarelli in 1981 and today guided by his daughter Marina Cvetič. From their base in San Martino sulla Marrucina, the estate has done more than perhaps any other producer to elevate the reputation of Abruzzo on the world stage — proving that this rugged, sun-drenched region between the Apennines and the Adriatic can produce wines of genuine depth, character, and value.

The Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is the estate’s flagship entry-level red — and a benchmark for the appellation. Montepulciano, Abruzzo’s signature grape, thrives in the region’s warm days and cool nights, producing wines that are naturally rich, fleshy, and deeply colored, with a rustic charm and food-friendliness that make them among Italy’s most versatile reds. The Wall Street Journal calls it “an excellent food wine” — and it’s hard to argue.

The 2024 opens with aromas of ripe dark cherry, blackberry, and plum, with attractive spicy and smoky undertones. The palate is fleshy and full-bodied, with generous dark fruit, soft tannins, and impressive length. A true trattoria red — best enjoyed young, with food, and in good company.

Varietal: Montepulciano
Appellation: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC, Abruzzo, Italy
Vintage: 2024
Format: 750ml

Cora Montepulciano d’Abruzzo — Abruzzo, Italy 2024

The Cora Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is the house Italian red we reach for without hesitation — and the 2024 vintage is its brightest, most energetic expression yet. A proprietary label crafted exclusively for David Bowler Wine, Cora sources fruit from established vineyards in the Abruzzo region, where the rugged Apennine foothills and Adriatic breezes produce Montepulciano of exceptional freshness and drinkability. Fresh, fun, and uncomplicated by design — but built to satisfy exacting standards. At $10.99, it is one of the most compelling everyday values in Italian red wine.

The nose is lively and inviting: brambly cranberry, strawberry blossoms, red apple skin, and rose petals, accented with spicy notes of nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon stick. On the palate, it is crisp and juicy — good acidity keeping it lively and agile, with moderate tannins that drive it energetically into a clean, refreshing finish. A lighter, brighter, snappier rendition of Montepulciano that is as easy at the table as it is on its own.

“Brambly aromas of cranberry, strawberry blossoms, red apple skin and rose petals… Crisp and juicy in the mouth with good acidity keeping it lively and agile. A great wine for pizza and pasta, and just about anything else.” — Bart Hopkins, 67Wine

• Producer: Cora, a proprietary label for David Bowler Wine, Abruzzo, Italy
• Vintage: 2024
• Appellation: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC
• Varietal: 100% Montepulciano
• Closure: Screwcap
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Cranberry, strawberry blossom, red apple, rose petal, nutmeg, cloves, crisp acidity, lively finish
• Cellar Potential: Drink now — best enjoyed young and fresh
• Best Paired With: Pizza, pasta, grilled sausages, arancini, casual weeknight dinners, antipasto boards

Bright, juicy, and built for the table — the Cora Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is the benchmark for what everyday Italian red can be at this price.

Warehouse stored item - please allow three to five business days to fulfill.

La Valentina's Bellovedere is the winery's highest expression of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. It is a single-vineyard wine from the subzone of Terre dei Vestini, in the rolling hills near the Abruzzo coast and the city of Pescara. The Bellovedere is intended to demonstrate the great possibilities of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, and as such the wine is produced only in the years with great weather conditions and fully mature grapes. The Bellovedere vineyard takes its name from a park in the center of Spoltore with a view of the vineyards and the ridgeline of the Gran Sasso peaks behind, as shown on the label.

• 94 James
  Suckling
• 92 Wine
  Spectator

Warehouse stored item - please allow three to five business days to fulfill.

Full-bodied, even robust, with a capacity to age but with such supple smoothness that it can be eminently drinkable even when young.

Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo — Abruzzo 2024 | 1.5L Magnum

Masciarelli is the benchmark producer of Abruzzo — the estate that put this rugged, sun-drenched region on the fine wine map. Founded by the late Gianni Masciarelli and now led by his wife Marina Cvetič, the domaine farms over 300 hectares across Abruzzo's finest hillside sites. Their estate Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is the calling card of the house: a wine of remarkable depth and generosity at an honest price, and in Magnum format it is even better — slower to evolve, more expressive, and built to impress at the table.

The 2024 vintage delivered ideal growing conditions across Abruzzo — warm days, cool nights, and a dry harvest that concentrated the Montepulciano grape to its fullest. The result is a wine that is rich and ripe without being heavy: dark cherry fruit at the core, layered with spice, smoke, and a whisper of dried herbs. Fleshy and full on the palate, with surprising depth and a long, satisfying finish. Drink now through 2028, or cellar for a few more years to let the tannins fully integrate.

• Producer: Masciarelli, San Martino sulla Marrucina, Abruzzo, Italy
• Vintage: 2024
• Appellation: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC
• Varietal: 100% Montepulciano
• Format: 1.5L Magnum
• Closure: Screwcap
• Color: Deep ruby-red
• Nose: Dark cherry, ripe plum, spice, smoke, dried herbs
• Palate: Full-bodied, fleshy, with depth and a long finish
• Drink: Now through 2028+
• Best Paired With: Roasted meats, braised lamb, pasta al ragù, wood-fired pizza, aged pecorino

The ultimate trattoria wine — now in a format made for the table.

Podere Castorani · Cadetto · Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC · Abruzzo · Italy · 2022

Podere Castorani is one of Abruzzo’s most compelling estates — a historic family winery in Alanno co-owned by former Formula One driver Jarno Trulli, who brought a racing driver’s obsession with precision and detail to his family’s winemaking heritage. The estate farms organically, without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, letting the terroir of Abruzzo speak clearly in every bottle. Cadetto — meaning “Cadet” — is the estate’s entry-level expression of Montepulciano: pure fruit, freshness, and organic integrity at an exceptional price point.

The 2022 pours a deep ruby with violet notes. The nose is intense and inviting — red fruit, dark cherry, plum, and light hints of spice and chocolate. On the palate, it is full-bodied with mature, smooth tannins, refreshing acidity, and a finish that lingers with spice and cocoa. Approachable now and versatile at the table.

• Producer: Podere Castorani (Jarno Trulli), Alanno, Abruzzo, Italy
• Vintage: 2022
• Appellation: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC
• Varietal: 100% Montepulciano
• Farming: Certified Organic
• Style: Dry red — full-bodied, fruit-forward, smooth tannins
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Dark cherry, red plum, spice, chocolate, mature tannins, refreshing acidity
• Pairings: Grilled chicken, light beef dishes, veal, pasta with tomato or meat sauce, pizza

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC — certified organic, estate-bottled, and co-owned by an F1 champion. Pure Abruzzo character at an unbeatable price.

Warehouse stored item - please allow one to three business days to fulfill.

Deep dense intense ruby red colour, with a purple viscous rim. Intense nose with ripe blackberry, wild strawberry and spices. Powerful and expansive on the palate, with ripe tannins and great balance. Round and fresh ending, long-lasting, with aromatic persistence.

Montepulciano | Conero, Marche / Italy
Vintage: 2022  |  Size: 750ml

Umani Ronchi is one of the Marche’s most storied estates, and San Lorenzo — first produced in 1982 — is their benchmark expression of Rosso Conero. Sourced from the San Lorenzo vineyard in the municipality of Osimo, this 100% Montepulciano is aged in large oak casks in the estate’s historic cave cellar, where time and stone conspire to produce a wine of genuine depth and character.

The 2022 vintage is darkly hued, lifting from the glass with aromas of spiced blackberry jam, black tea, and roasted rosemary. On the palate, it delivers outstanding flavour impact — rounded, enfolding tannins, warm and generous, with the earthy grip and savory backbone that make Montepulciano d’Abruzzo’s Adriatic cousin so compelling. A wine that expresses the full potential of Conero terroir.

“With its outstanding impact in terms of flavour and the enfolding warmth of its rounded tannins, it is a wine which is intended to express all the potential of the combination between its terroir and the Montepulciano varietal.”
— Umani Ronchi

Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Biodynamic Organic 2022

About the Producer

Avignonesi is one of Tuscany's most celebrated and progressive estates. Under the leadership of Virginie Saverys, it has become a benchmark for biodynamic and organic viticulture in Italy. Their Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is sourced from high-altitude vineyards where clay-rich soils and diurnal temperature swings produce Sangiovese of exceptional freshness, acidity, and complexity.

Winemaker's Notes

Bright purplish-red in colour with vibrant intensity. On the nose, small red berries and pomegranate open alongside the unmistakable violet note typical of quality Sangiovese, with subtle hints of vanilla and delicate oak. On the palate, the entry is lively and well-balanced — expressive and crisp, with sweet notes of ripe cherry, plum jam, and nuances of liquorice on the finish. Dynamic and elegant body, well-defined tannins, and a smooth, enveloping texture. A fresh streak of acidity carries the persistent finish.

Food Pairings

• Meats: Roast lamb with rosemary, wild boar ragù, Bistecca alla Fiorentina.
• Pasta: Pici with aglione or mushroom risotto.
• Cheese: Aged Pecorino Toscano. A natural partner for traditional Tuscan fare.

Wine Details

• Producer: Avignonesi
• Appellation: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, Tuscany, Italy
• Grape: Sangiovese (Prugnolo Gentile)
• Farming: Certified biodynamic and organic
• Vintage: 2022
• Style: Elegant, high-acid, terroir-driven Tuscan red
• Format: 750ml

High on the hills above the Val di Chiana, the hilltop town of Montepulciano has been shaping Sangiovese — here called Prugnolo Gentile — into something distinctly aristocratic for centuries. Cantine Dei is among its finest custodians. Founded when Alibrando Dei acquired the legendary Bossona vineyard in 1964, the estate reached its full expression under his granddaughter Caterina, who returned to Montepulciano in the early 1990s with a singular conviction: that these wines exist to reveal their land, not obscure it. The first Dei Vino Nobile was released from the exceptional 1985 harvest. Four decades on, the intention hasn't changed.

The 2021 is a luminous ruby with garnet tones, and it opens with an intense bouquet of ripe cherries, plums, violets, and iron-tinged earth. On the palate it walks the line between fruity and savory with real grace — full-bodied yet poised, with velvety tannins, fine acidity, and notes of almond, camphor, and tobacco that build through a long, lively finish. Paolo Caciorgna's winemaking is as restrained as ever: the fruit speaks, and the structure rewards patience. Drink now through 2035.

93 points — Wine Spectator | “Supple and complex, walking a fine line between fruity and savory, youthful and mature. Cherry, plum, almond, iron, earth and tobacco… fades gracefully on the long, lively aftertaste. Drink now through 2035.” (Vintage 2021). 

92 points — James Suckling | “Aromas of forest floor, black cherries, camphor and dried flowers. Forthright structure with crisp acidity, chalky tannins and a tight finish that’s chewy and polished. Drink or hold.” (Vintage 2021).

• Producer: Cantine Dei
• Vintage: 2021
• Appellation: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, Tuscany, Italy
• Varietal: Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese), Canaiolo
• Farming: Sustainable
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Ripe cherry, plum, violet, almond, iron, earth, tobacco, vanilla
• Cellar: Drink now through 2035
• Food Pairings: Bistecca alla Fiorentina, wild boar ragù, aged Pecorino, braised lamb

Ranked #34 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2023 — one of Tuscany’s most compelling values at this level.

Montepulciano from the Adriatic Cliffs of Le Marche

Fattoria Le Terrazze is one of the Marche's most celebrated estates, perched on terraced hillsides overlooking the Adriatic Sea near Ancona. Their Rosso Conero is the estate's entry point into the appellation — and a benchmark for what Montepulciano can achieve at an accessible price: generous, warm, and genuinely satisfying.

The 2021 vintage in central Italy delivered excellent ripeness with good freshness, producing wines of depth and balance. This is a wine built for the table, not the cellar — drink it now with confidence.

Winemaker Notes

Brilliant ruby red. Intense and fruity on the nose with ripe red fruits — a classic expression of Montepulciano from this coastal appellation. Rich, full-bodied, and warm on the palate, with soft tannins, lively freshness, and a long, satisfying finish.

Vineyard & Vinification

• Grape: 100% Montepulciano
• Appellation: Rosso Conero DOC, Marche, Italy
• Producer: Fattoria Le Terrazze, Ancona
• Vintage: 2021
• Size: 750ml

Food Pairings

Perfect with grilled red meats, lamb chops, hearty pasta with meat ragù, aged pecorino, and charcuterie. Equally enjoyable by the glass on its own.

Castello ColleMassari | Rigoleto | Montecucco Rosso DOC | Tuscany, Italy | 2023 | Organic

Castello ColleMassari is the most important and largest estate of the Montecucco appellation — a 1,200-hectare property in the hills of southern Tuscany that includes 120 hectares of vineyards and nearly 90 hectares of olive groves, three of which are over 900 years old. The estate was acquired in 1999 by Claudio Tipa and his sister Maria Iris Bertarelli, who restored the ColleMassari castle — a 13th-century fortress that was originally the homestead of area nobility — and transformed it into one of Tuscany's most celebrated organic wine estates. The vineyards on the Montecucco hill are home to some of the oldest Sangiovese vines in the DOCG.

Rigoleto is ColleMassari's entry-level expression — a blend of organically grown Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, and Montepulciano that captures the fresh, fruit-driven character of Montecucco with an easy, approachable style. Shimmering ruby red in the glass. The nose is fresh, vinous, and balsamic — tart blackberries, cherry, fresh thyme, menthol, and earthy topsoil. On the palate, fresh, soft, and inviting with tart, snappy black cherries, juicy fruit, harmonious structure, and a hot, peppery finish with chalky tannins that keep the wine lively and food-friendly.

Pair with pasta with tomato sauce, pizza, grilled meats, charcuterie, and aged pecorino.

• Producer: Castello ColleMassari
• Cuvée: Rigoleto
• Appellation: Montecucco Rosso DOC, Tuscany, Italy
• Blend: Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, Montepulciano
• Vintage: 2023
• Farming: Certified Organic
• Bottle Size: 750ml

Critical Acclaim — Vintage 2023

• Wine Enthusiast — 91 pts: Fresh, earthy nose of tart blackberries, topsoil and herbs. Tart, snappy black cherries on the palate with a hot, peppery finish. Tannins are structured but chalky enough to tone down the heat.
• Falstaff — 90 pts: Shimmering ruby red. Blackberry, cherry and fresh thyme on the nose. Juicy and fresh on the palate, fruit-orientated, harmonious structure, medium length.

Winemaker Description 

Deep ruby in color with bright streaks of purple and garnet. The bouquet opens up with bright cherry and plum aromas with accents of sweet spices, vanilla and licorice. In the mouth, the flavors harmonize joyfully with sweet, silky tannins and a long, pleasant finish.

Showing its age with grace and elegance, this is a wine that’s drinking perfectly now. Makes a great accompaniment to red meat, wild game, mature cheese and hearty pasta dishes.