Wine of the week: Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2018

Once more, Italy’s Montepulciano d’Abruzzo region yields quality and value – this time from Masciarelli

Count ’em – red wines from Italy’s Montepulciano d’Abruzzo region have been been the wine of the week 10 times and several have made the hall of Fame. What does that say about the quality and value these wines deliver?

A lot, of course, as the Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2018 ($11, purchased, 13.5%) demonstrates. These wines, made in a less known region with a less known grape, are textbook examples of how to find quality cheap wine, because lesser known tends to equal value.

The Masciarelli is simple and straightforward – a trattoria wine, says the marketing blurb, and that’s spot on. Look for tart cherry fruit and maybe some berries, and even a little smokiness stuck down in the middle somewhere. It’s also more full in the mouth than many similar wines, though there is the same longish finish.

And a tip of the WC’s fedora to my old pal Carmen Castorina for reminding me about this one.

Pair this with sausages and peppers on the grill as the weather warms up, or even bratwurst and sauerkraut. I’m also thinking about chicken braised in red wine, using this as the braising liquid.

Imported by Vintus