Villa Medoro, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, 2008

Neither my co-rambler Torsten nor I have so far been able to warm significantly to Italian reds, especially those from the middle and south of the country. We have our reasons, mainly the predominance of plummy, raisiny fruit and a certain undeniably flabbyness that we think we found in those we have tasted, but to lovers of those regions I'm sure it proves that we are no less capable of prejudice-fuelled wine ignorance than the next drinker. What follows, then, is a little outside of the usual mould of Wine Rambler reviews.

It is to make amends, in a way, but it's also very much a public service announcement: Enjoyable Italian red ahead!

The Villa Medoro, made from the Montepulciano grape (which has nothing to do with the town of Montepulciano in Tuscany, nor with its famous sangiovese-based Vino Nobile di Montepulciano) offers much that is to like: Dark, purple-tinged red colour, very ripe nose of berries and caramelised sugar. Inviting cherry and strawberry fruit, blueberries as well, raisiny, yes, but with good acidity, plump, yes, but ultimately not flabby thanks to a dose of rustic tannin. An unpretentious and quite enjoyable Bolognese companion. Why producers would put out such a wine with rotten plastic cork instead of a proper screwcap I'll never understand, but otherwise: Good deal.