Lunaria Coste di Moro Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. A wine more for conversation rather than contemplation!

Lunaria Coste di Moro Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (DOP) 2019, 14% ABV

€19.95 O’Briens Wine

a wine more for conversation rather than contemplation! 

There’s no seeing through the dark ruby red of this Montepulciano from Abruzzo. Red fruit on the nose. On the palate, it is soft and intense, slightly tannic with an excellent dry finish. The producers guide you to serve it between 16 and 18 degrees and pair it with platters of cured meats, grilled and baked meats and first courses with “very structured” sauces.

It is rich, robust and red, and Highly Recommended, a wine more for conversation rather than contemplation! It is made from organic grapes and left to ferment naturally using wild yeasts with natural tartaric stabilisation.

Unusually, the vines are cultivated in huts (extended Abruzzo pergolas). In the huts, on a horizontal wire roof, the vines grows harmoniously and naturally as the leaves take in the wind and sun. The system takes quite a lot of manual labour though.

The producers Bio Cantina Orsogna indicate that “the spontaneous fermentation of wines is the fundamental condition for creating a wine capable of restoring the authentic flavours of a territory”.

Orsogna is based in one of the largest wine production areas in Central and Southern Italy, where grapes and oil have always told an authentic story and where experiences have been handed down for generations.

The co-op was formed in the 1964 by a 35 strong group of small winemakers. In 2020, they produced their first organic biodynamic wines and, in 2018, - were recognised at the World Biodynamic Conference in San Francisco as the largest global company producing Demeter-certified biodynamic grapes.

If you see one of these bottles, you’ll note twine pulled tightly over the cork. There is no capsule as, since 2013, BIO Cantina Orsogna eliminated capsules from their bottles of organic and biodynamic wines by using this twine.

By the way, the Montepulciano grape is often confused with the town of the same name. There is a popular wine known as Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and it is made from Sangiovese grapes! Montepulciano, often somewhat “sweeter” than this, is very common on Irish wine lists (not just in the Italian restaurants).

• This post is part of a series on Italian wines made from native grapes and produced by usually small or medium-sized organic wineries. Taking some “guidance” here from the recently published VINO. Mightn’t always net the hat trick but hope to score two from the three each time. I have quite a few lined up but I’m happy to consider any suggestions or help. #OrganicItaly