Feudo Antico, Montepulciano Organic, Abruzzo, Italy

Feudo Antico is a new winery in an ancient place. Planting new vineyards around 2010 unearthed remains of a roman villa and storage tanks used for wine and olive oil. But the hills around Tollo in the Abruzzo, near the Adriatic sea, saw massive conflict in WWII, the town literally razed to the ground and the vineyards destroyed. Feudo Antico has been at the centre of efforts to bring wine production back to the region and in the process bring it recognition for its individual character. The DOP Tullum is the result, the smallest denominated region in Italy with very strict rules about yields, vine density, viticulture and more. This wine is a great introduction to the producer. Made from 100% Montepulciano grape it has flavours or red berry fruits and wild cherry. Lovely with mature cheeses, grilled meat or a plate of salami. (Confusingly Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is from further north and west in Tuscany, named after the place it comes from and made from Sangiovese grape rather than being named after the grape *and* the place in the case of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.)