Italy is such a fantastic wine country, producing some of the best wines in the world. 🙂 The climate is also good for producing green wines, and I will now introduce you to the Valle Reale Montepulciano d’Abruzzo  DOC from 2010 which is an organic wine. The region of Abruzzo lies to the East of Lazio (where Rome is situated), and one of the region’s DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) wines is the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, made from the grape variety Montepulciano (not to be confused with the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG from Tuscany).

The Valle Reale vineyards are situated in a national park known for its wild wolves (you will also find a wolf on the label of this wine), and the quite harsh nature and climate give the grapes extra richness.

This wine gets 84 points. On the nose it has a pungent, spicy and fruity character, slightly gamey as well and hints of oak. Dark cherries and chocolate. On the palate it is a dry red wine with high acidity and quite high levels of smooth tannins. The alcohol level is 13,5 %. The flavour characteristics are spices, with dark cherries and plums. Oak and chocolate as well as herbs.

Food: The high acidity and levels of tannins, as well as the strong character of this wine, makes it perfect for spicy dishes of lamb and beef/red meat – preferably with herbs.

This wine can be found at Systembolaget’s ordinary assortment (nr 2355) for the price of 109 SEK.