Tuscany, Il Vino Nobile, the noble wine of Montepulciano, Tuscany Travel Guide, Tuscanweb

We find three broad categories in the area; Rosso, Vino Nobile and Vino Nobile Reserva.

For this wines the growers use the grapes "Prugnolo Gentile", a cloned reproduction of Sangiovese Grosso, the grapes which are present in most of the wines of Tuscany. Besides Prugnolo Gentile, there are black Canaiolo, Malvasia del Chianti and the Tuscan Trebbiano as well as, in a limited way, Pulcinculo (White Grechetto) and Mammolo. The production area is the complete area around the city, except the lower part of Val di Chiana. These lands are at a height, ranging between 250 and 600 metres. The best pieces of land for growing these grapes are the parts where the clay is blended with sand, like Caggiole and Sanguineto. Almost all the wines produced are for long aging. The total surface of the vineyards is 670 hectares with a production of 27.000 hectolitres of Nobile wine. 40 % of the companies bottle the Vino Nobile whereas the others sell it by weight.

During the grape-gathering, grapes are carefully chosen; only the proper ones are used for the production of the Nobile wine. This wine has to be kept for two years at least in oak or chestnut wood casks before bottling. Then it can get its DOC or DOCG- certification. After three years it can use the qualification "reserva". The other grapes are used for the red wine of Montepulciano or for the table-wine.

DOC means Vino a Denominazione di Origine Controllata and is the Italian answer to the French AOC. DOC wines are produced in specific well-defined regions, according to specific rules designed to preserve the traditional wine-making practices of the individual regions. This means, that the rules for making Barolo can differ from those for making Chianti. It?s a little tricky, but because the wine has to meet certain standards to qualify as DOC, the quality of Italian wines as a whole has improved since they started the qualifications in 1966.

DOCG means Vino a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. It is similar to the DOC but more stringent. These wines must pass an evaluation of a tasting committee before they are allowed to be bottled. The establishment of DOCG wines has again resulted in an overall improvement in the quality of Italian wines. The only drawback is that in some cases the areas are too large. All of Chianti, about half of Tuscany, is DOCG for example, despite fluctuations in quality from place to place.

The DOCG for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano states; it has to be made from 60-80% Prugnolo Gentile, 10-20% Canaiolo Nero and up to 20% lesser grapes, whose use is authorized in the Province of Siena. It cannot include more than 10% white grapes and the only aromatic grape allowed is Malvasia del Chianti. The wines are to be stored in botti (large oak barrels) according to traditional custom for a minimum of two years, or three for reserva. The minimum alcohol content of the wine is 12.5%. Montepulciano?s history has always been closely linked to the fame of its wines. Already in Etruscan times, there probably were vineyards in the neighbourhood. The Etrusans knew how to make wine as demonstrated by the finding of a kylix (wine cup) with red figures and numerous bronze objects, in an Etruscan tomb near the Tuscan town of Chiusi. The kylix depicts Fufluns, the Etruscan god of the wine (plant life, happiness, health, and growth), playing cottabo (a wine game) with a maenad; a mythological figure.

In his Storie (V, 33) Livy, the roman writer and philosopher mentions that the Gauls were attracted into Italy, because of the wines from the Tuscan hills.

However the oldest document referring to the wine of Montepulciano dates back to 789. In this paper the cleric Arnipert offers the church some land with vineyards inside the castle of Policiano. In his "Historical and geographical dictionary of Tuscany Repetti" mentioned a document dating back to 1350 in which the terms for trade and exportation of Montepulciano wine were established. Records show that in the early middle Ages the vineyards of Mons Politianus have produced excellent wines. In the mid-16th century Sante Lancerio, cellarman of Pope Paul III Farnese, praised the wines of Montepulciano in mentioning "they are perfect in both winter and summer, aromatic, fleshy, never sour, nor brightly-coloured, because it is a wine fit for Noblemen" At the end of the 17th century Redi, doctor and poet, mentions the wine in his poem "Bacchus in Tuscany", in which Bacchus and Ariadne praise the wines of Tuscany. The poem ends with the words; "Montepulciano is the king of all wines"!

The poem enjoyed considerable success and was passed on from court to court until it fell into the hands of William III, king of England, Scotland and Ireland King William's preference for Tuscan wines may well be the result of Redi's writings which made them famous. The wine continued to be praised throughout its history until the end of the 19th century, when it was challenged by His Majesty's Winemaker at the Vienna exhibition in 1873. He complained the single sample of Montepulciano present was "mediocre enough to raise a few doubts about Redi's poem". In the early 20th century Vino Nobile di Montepulciano seemed to be a thing of the past, until the first market of typical local wines held in Siena in 1933, presented a fine red wine which met with general approval. Their example was followed by other wineries and in 1937 a cooperative was formed with the aim of forming a structure for selling wine made by smaller growers. Most of the wine made was Chianti; there was only a small quantity of Nobile. Today, though, this company produces the greatest quantity of bottled Nobile.

The 1960s saw a reawakening of winegrowing directed especially towards the production of Vino Nobile rather than Chianti. State and EEC contributions which enabled the wineries to convert the vineyards according to the requirements specified by the DOC allowed new wineries to enter the market. Recognition of the DOCG came in 1980 and Vino Nobile began its new life. In addition the DOC awarded to Rosso di Montepulciano enabled it to remain distinct from the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano in terms of yield per hectare, alcohol content and ageing, while the production area is the same.

We tried different "Vino Nobiles" from different producers and they all are from a high standard, although they are not cheap (starting at app. EURO 15).

Yes, the world of wine knows a long history and is more complex than meets the eye, but we can say one thing: "SALUTE"!