Nobile di Montepulciano: A Tuscan Red Wine A Gentlewoman Should Know

If you are a gentlewoman who knows the difference between wine tasting and wine drinking, then you can’t miss the Tuscany’s noblest red of them all, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

You might have tried several wines in your 20s and 30s but now that you are a grown-up and becoming better with age (like a fine wine), you deserve something special and maybe off the usual supermarket shelves. We are not suggesting your typical “Red” for a Friday night on the couch but a celebrating wine able to represent ourselves every day in our glorious middle age: vibrant, full-bodied, lively, sophisticated and distinguished. Thanks to its bright acidity and gentle tannins, Nobile is very versatile; it can be enjoyed on its own, shared with friends, or paired with food. It is also an extremely age-worthy wine, which improves gracefully for up to 20 years. Besides, nowadays most of the best wine productions are represented by bold ladies over 40 and beyond, playing leading roles.

Why ‘Nobile at heart’

A favourite amongst influential Italian Kings, Popes, and Presidents, the wine Nobile di Montepulciano has been enjoyed throughout history as the wine of the nobles (hence its name). Not to be confused with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (made from the Montepulciano grape), this Sangiovese-based red wine can only be produced from vineyards surrounding the medieval town of Montepulciano (Siena). Although it is often overshadowed by neighbouring Chianti or Brunello, Nobile was the first DOCG (Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin), wine to appear on the Italian market and one of Tuscany’s most renowned red wines.

Tasting The Greatness In A Glass Of Wine

With a deep ruby red colour, it has an intense, heavenly and distinctive scent, aromas of ripe fruit, blackcurrants and raspberries, enriched with elegant notes of tobacco, chocolate and sweet spices. In the mouth, it comes through full and mouth-filling, with a balanced and elegant body. The minimum alcoholic gradation is 12.5º or 13º for the Riserva. This is a classic wine to pair with red meat roasts, game and wild game, and fine poultry

Our favourite wineries

Winemaking is still a well known male-dominated industry, so we particularly appreciate those ladies behind the bottle who are at the forefront of winemaking today in the Montepulciano area; either as a producer or winery manager.

Le Bertille

When Olimpia Roberti decided to leave behind her career as a lawyer to embrace winemaking in 2000, she made the best choice of her life. Joining her late father Saverio, she converted her family’s Montepulciano holiday home to a 30-acre winery turning the ancient art of winemaking into a chance for her to flourish again. Her wines reveal a wild passionate heart and an endless dedication to her pursuit of excellence.

Our Choice: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2011 – Riserva

Icario Winery

Owned by the Rothenberger Family, Icario Winery wouldn’ be the same without the charisma of the General Manager Ilaria Ippoliti. Ilaria is shaping Icario’s new path: her strong commitment, combined with a strategic mindset and tasteful humour are very valuable assets to Icario.
The modern winery, perfectly integrated into the landscape with a breathtaking view of the Valdichiana, is a jewel of architecture and offers guests wine tastings, cellar tours, lunches and aperitifs with local products, as well as hospitality in a luxury Villa with swimming pool that can be rented weekly. The cellar is available for events such as weddings and business meetings.

Our Choice: Vitaroccia, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano  2006 – Riserva

Cantina Crociani

For Susanna Crociani wine is pure poetry.  For such an unconventional lady, former music manager once living in Rome, now running the family business established by his father Arnaldo in 1955, wine production is almost like a show in which passion, love and drama come alive with every sip of her wines. While the winery and vineyards are located outside the town’s walls, the wines are aged and stored in 14th-century cellars right in the heart of Montepulciano. Honouring her previous career, she named each wine barrel after a female Opera character.

When you are born among the barrels and vineyards, as I was, sooner or later you give into their charms – she said-. After spending years of organizing concerts for some of the most famous Italian pop singers, I decided to return to my origins and go into the wine business. My father Arnaldo and by my brother Giorgio before me had been working in the business in Montepulciano for many years. I went from being a non-drinker to wanting to create a wine that I liked.

Our Choice: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2016

*In memory of Saverio Roberti