| MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO DOC LA QUERCIA | |
| Variety Mix: 100% Montepulciano | |
| Soil: Mixed soil verging on clay, about 250 metres above sea level | |
| Training: Covered scaffolding and row | |
| Sensory Evaluation: Deep red wine with purple nuances, intense peculiar fragrance and savoury full-bodied taste. | |
| Winemaking System: Low temperature fermentation | |
| Winemaking Process:Manually picked grapes are crushed within two hours by a crusher-stemmer. Crushed grapes are put into vitrified concrete fermenters and cooled down. This kind of tank prevents must from sudden changes in temperature. | |
| Gastronomy Match:
Pretty well with meat based dishes; great with roasts and BBQs |
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| Awards: Gambero Rosso’s guide “Vini d’Italia”: 2/3 glasses in 2007, 2008 and 2009; finalist for 3/3 glasses in 2010. Gambero Rosso’s guide “L’almanacco del bere bene” (Almanac Of Good Drinks): prize for quality/price ratio in 2008 and 2009. Veronelli’s guide: 2/3 stars from 2007 to 2010. Recommended by Slow Food’s guide “Slow Wine”. AIS’ guide “Duemilavini 2011” (Two-thousand-wines 2011): 3/5 clusters. Winner at Concorso Nazionale Vini Pramaggiore (National Wine Contest of Pramaggiore) in 2008 and 2011. Honourable Mention at Vinitaly 2001 and 2006. |
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Historical Outline: Montepulciano vine variety is from Valle Peligna (valley in the centre of Italian region Abruzzo), as confirmed by historian Michele Troia in 18th century – much earlier than the presumed origins from Tuscany. Through selection, Montepulciano vines easily adapted to the environmental varieties in Abruzzo and spread throughout almost the whole region. Although homonymous with Nobile of Montepulciano wine, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is strongly different: the former is a mixture of grapes produced in Montepulciano (near Siena), whilst the latter is 100% Montepulciano grapes, which originate and grow up in Abruzzo (that is why Montepulciano wine lately became Nobile of Montepulciano and Montepulciano vine variety became Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, AOC).
Lettering: Classica Gallic Light: created by the designer Thierry Puyfoulhoux in 2001, this font was chosen for its neatness and similarity to the one used by the former owner of La Quercia winery. Our aim was to slowly establish our own label, with a fresher and simpler image, without sudden changes in order to help ourselves in the critical stage of the transfer of property. For this reason we just simplified the lettering and drawing and shading of the cask on the label: we wanted it to be more similar to us, but respecting the winery history and traditions.