($15, Gonzalez Byass USA):  When you run across a wine at this price that’s this enjoyable, it makes you smile.  This bright and juicy mid-weight wine has an engaging mix of red fruits accented by a hint of spice.  Mild tannins allow immediate enjoyment.… Read more

($17, Romano Brands):  First, Pecorino is also an Italian grape, not just a cheese.  Second, it makes lovely wines that I predict will take the world by storm.  This one by Cerulli Spinozzi, one of the region’s top producers, delivers a panoply of mouth-cleansing citrus flavors that buttresses its good density. … Read more

($18, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Illuminati, one of the leading producers in Abruzzo, makes a range of wines from the Montepulciano grape.  This one focuses on the dark fruit tones that the Montepulciano variety can display.  Its fleshiness, coupled with mild tannins, makes this mid-weight red a good choice for current consumption.… Read more

($24, Montcalm Wine Importers):  This Riserva, made from a selection of the best Montepulciano grapes, is real step up from this house’s other, entry-level releases: there’s much more going on here.  Not bigger or bolder, it’s just broader and more layered. … Read more

($18, Montcalm Wine Importers):  This is a differently styled Montepulciano from Illuminati’s Riparossso, highlighting the more herbal and savory side of that grape.  Despite similar weight and concentration, it’s a more aromatic and energetic wine, which makes it a fine choice for current consumption with a sausage-infused tomato sauce for pasta.… Read more

($38, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Colline Teramane, the hills around Teramano, in the north of Abruzzo, neighboring the Marche, is Abruzzo’s sole DOCG.  Judging from this line-up of Illuminati’s wines, it certainly deserves that accolade based on the quality of this release. … Read more

($58, Vintus):  Similar to its red counterpart, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo can be grown all over the province and varies in quality from insipid to inspiring.  As you would expect from a top producer, Masciarelli’s fits the latter category.  Why the vast difference? … Read more

($27, Vintus):  Montepulciano d’Abruzzo has nothing to do with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.  The former is a grape, the latter a village whose wines, curiously enough, are made from Sangiovese.   The quality and price of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is vast, from thin swill to monumental wine, which makes it a mine field when selecting wines. … Read more

($35, Vintus):  Colline Teramane is the sole DOCG (Italy’s highest wine category) in Abruzzo, and shows the heights the Montepulciano grape can achieve when planted in the right place by the right people.  This one, unsurprisingly, since it comes from Mascareilli, one of the region’s top producers, is stunning. … Read more

($20):  Pecorino, in addition to being a cheese, is also a grape, which, in the right hands, makes a captivating wine.  Moreover, I predict Pecorino will become the go-to white wine for Italian fare because its lively edginess cuts through most any dish and refreshes the palate. … Read more

($12, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Though I reviewed this wine a couple of years ago, it’s worth revisiting because it is still available at virtually the same price.  Still a bargain, it shows that non-prestigious wines are not necessarily a flash in the pan.… Read more

($18, Romano Brands):  One of the great things about wines from Italy is how many distinctive ones, like this one, fly under the radar.  Abruzzo does not have the name recognition of Tuscany nor does the DOCG of Colline Teramane ring any bells, which explains why this wine’s price doesn’t come close to recognizing its quality.… Read more

($13, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Illuminati does it again with their Riparosso.  They habitually produce a wine that delivers far more than the price suggests.  It’s a bright and lively mid-weight wine that combines fruit and savory notes.  A lovely firmness and a hint of bitterness in the finish, not to mention the price, makes it perfect for a simple mid-week pasta and meat sauce, or pizza.… Read more

($15, Romano Brands):  Pecorino is, of course, a cheese.  But it turns out to also be a grape and a wine.  An attractive bite is what the cheese and the wine have in common. Cerulli Spinozzi, one of the top producers in Abruzzo, a region due east of Rome on the Adriatic, has consistently made a winsome Pecorino. … Read more

($13, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Illuminati does it again with their Riparosso.  They habitually produce a wine that delivers far more than the price suggests.  It’s a bright and lively mid-weight wine that combines fruit and savory notes.  A lovely firmness and a hint of bitterness in the finish, not to mention the price, makes it perfect for a simple mid-week pasta and meat sauce, or pizza.… Read more

($11):  Pecorino, the grape and the wine made from it, is a name to remember.  Its home is in the middle of the east coast of Italy in the regions of Le Marche and Abruzzo.  As with all wine, there is a range of style of Pecorino from zippy and cutting to softer and creamier. … Read more

($21):  Pecorino, both the wine and the cheese, typically have an attractive bite to them.  This one, an organic wine from the organically-focused producer whose name is, literally, “the organic hill,” has a creamy texture that mutes the bite.  It is still there, but overall the wine’s less energetic, but more suave, showing that Pecorino can have a broader profile.… Read more

($15, Montcalm Wine Importers):  Here is a wine that provides more enjoyment than the price suggests.  Wines, especially those made from the Montepulciano grape and especially from Abruzzo, the region east of Rome on the Adriatic coast, have little or no prestige, which keeps their prices depressed. … Read more

($21, The Sorting Table): Pecorino, the wine, not the cheese, is currently “hot,” which is surprising considering it was practically extinct as a grape variety as recently as two decades ago.  Now there are probably 60 producers on the bandwagon. Although I’ve not sampled them all, it’s hard to imagine finding one better than Tiberio’s. … Read more

($15): There are eight varieties of Trebbiano, according to Ian D’Agata, the world’s foremost authority on Italian grapes, which results in great confusion because they are certainly not all the same.  This wine is made from Trebbiano Abruzzese, not to be confused with the more pedestrian Trebbiano Toscana.  … Read more

($38, Montcalm Wine Imports): The somewhat unwieldy name of Abruzzo’s sole DOCG and the reputation of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo for producing only inexpensive wine might put some consumers off from ordering this one.  That would be a mistake.   The Colline Teramane area within Abruzzo is uniquely well suited for the Montepulciano grape because its exposure to the sea and the elevation of the vineyards act as cooling influences, which allows the grapes to maintain their acidity thus instilling liveliness to the wines. … Read more

($20, Cru Artisan):  The wines from Colline Teramane, Abruzzo’s only DOCG, fly under the radar for some inexplicable reason, which makes them a bargain for consumers.  Since they’re rarely seen on wine lists, even in the trendiest wine bars, it remains for savvy consumers to try them on their own, at home. … Read more

($15): Cortalto’s a wine to buy by the case.  The pleasing bite of Pecorino, the grape, could remind consumers of the cheese.  Cerulli Spinozzi, one of the top producers in Abruzzo, manages to combine the attractive bite with good concentration and uplifting acidity in this fresh and lively wine. … Read more

($15, Montcalm Wine Imports): A steal, this wine is in the “buy it by the case” category. Always a good buy, the 2014 vintage is especially noteworthy because Illuminati made no riserva that year.  Grapes from their 45-year old vineyard that usually go into the riserva wound up in the Riparosso, imparting extra density, concentration and refinement.… Read more

($13, Montcalm Wine Importers, Ltd): Though its enticing cherry-red hue says rosé, this is not your standard innocuous one, but rather a rosé masquerading as a light red wine–and a delightful one at that.  Fresh and bright, with hints of wild strawberries, the barest hint of a tannic structure and whiff of bitterness in the finish remind you it was made from a light pressing of the Montepulciano grape. … Read more

($13, Montcalm Wine Importers, Ltd): Talk about charming rusticity.  This Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a cut above your basic “pizza wine,” imparting a lovely combination of cherry-like notes and lively acidity.  Fresh and vigorous, it’s just what you need for an “everyday” wine for pasta bathed in a garlicky tomato sauce.… Read more

($17, Banfi Vintners):  Cerulli Spinozzi’s Torre Migliori has all of the concentration that Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is known for, but with a complexity and elegance that is rarely seen in wines made from that grape.  It’s easy to see why Colline Teramane is Abruzzo’s sole DOCG. … Read more

($13, Banfi Vintners): It’s not just a cheese.  Pecorino (from “pecora,” the word for sheep in Italian) is also a grape native to Abruzzo and Marche, regions on the Eastern side of the Italian peninsula.  Enrico Cerulli Irelli, family proprietor of Cerulli Spinozzi, speculates that the grape got its name because sheep grazing on adjacent pastures would nibble at the vines. … Read more