An Informal Wine's Uncomplicated Charm

I was so happy when my local Costco, where I work as the Wine Specialist, began getting some Italian, French and Spanish wines in before the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday; we've had a very poor selection of these countries' wines as long as I've been an employee. Realizing that the warehouse is situated at the beginning of wine country in Washington state, this Costco has made a real effort to showcase Washington wines. But there are knowledgeable and sophisticated wine buyers in the region, so I was excited that with our new offerings we would have a better global wine selection.

I guess there are some really rich people who love wine and have plenty of money but are still looking for house wines: straightforward, inexpensive and tasty and which require little money to buy and little effort to enjoy. These are the kinds of wines to keep around at all times, simply to pop open and enjoy when you get home from work. Which brings me to the title wine: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. This is an inexpensive wine that is charming, so easy, and so drinkable that it seems like part of the family as soon as it's opened.

Montepulciano d' Abruzzo is made from the Montepulciano grape from the Abruzzo region of Italy. This is a wine "to drink," not "taste." So instead of swirling, sniffing, tasting... just enjoy it! These wines are generally pillow soft, with raspberries, blueberries and sometimes blackberries on the nose and on the palate. Many of the Montepulciano d' Abruzzos are not oaked but there is often minerality. The minerals give the wine depth and call out for food and/or more wine. This is a great wine with pizza.

Because the wine is so affordable, I am happy that people are trying an Old World wine instead of just picking up the least expensive wine from the new world (California, Washington or Australia).

Cheers,

Durella DeGrasse
Certified Wine Professional



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