Abruzzo winemaking is nowhere near as popular as regions like Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto, or Puglia, but it does hold a few significant advantages. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, not to be confused with the Tuscan village of the same name, has long been a top contender among wine connoisseurs. It's a wine that absolutely delivers on its promises and never, ever disappoints. This Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is named after Salvatore Lilli, a priest saint born in Abruzzo in 1853. He died a martyr at the end of the 19th century. Remarkably, this Abruzzo celebrity was beatified in 1982 by Pope John Paul II. A tribute in the form of a delicious red wine was therefore inevitable.
After harvest, the Montepulciano grapes are fermented and aged in large wooden barrels. Not for too long, but long enough to allow Salvatore Lilli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo to develop a touch more complexity. The result is a soft wine with a remarkably intense aroma. It's a tsunami of red fruit, including red cherries, red currants, and fragrant violets. Exceptionally powerful on the palate, this Salvatore Lilli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is certainly not out of place with a good piece of meat or hard cheese. But even on its own, this Montepulciano d'Abruzzo makes a fine glass of red wine.
