Montepulciano

Montepulciano is a red variety from central Italy, most likely native to Abruzzo; it has nothing to do with the Tuscan town's Vino Nobile, which is made from Sangiovese. Late-budding and late-ripening, it needs a warm site; its thick-skinned purple berries give deeply coloured, round and plummy reds with moderate acidity and soft tannins, the base of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Rosso Conero. In Georgia it is a rarity: Tchotiashvili grows it in Saniore for the red and rosé Nitsa and a blend with Tavkveri.