We last had a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo in the club in December 2020 (Jasci) and few of you OG Kompas Clubbers may remember that we served more than a few bottles (Vallevò) on the hottest day on record on Labor Day weekend 2017 at Eric and Michelle’s open house. Given the terrific response to both of those examples we may have been remiss to not repeat until now. Montepulciano the grape (not to be confused with the town in Tuscany where the famous Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is made from the Sangiovese grape) is the second most planted red grape in Italy after Sangiovese and is from the Abruzzo region, the lower calf of the boot, where high mountains seem to tumble directly into the Adriatic and sunshine is abundant. Legend has it that the similarities between the wines of the town of Montepulciano and the wines from Abruzzo’s regional grape engendered the naming of the grape from Abruzzo but according to Jancis Robinson, it is merely the result of linguistic coincidence. We would agree as the wines of the Montepulciano grape are softer and less tart than those from Sangiovese and the flavors are fairly different as well. In the case of this wine, Vigneti del Sole (Vineyards of the Sun) is a new project from the Pascua family of Verona. With the third generation taking the reins the company has focussed on sustainability for future generations and have transformed their vineyards to certified organic and sustainable. This wine improves with air and its flavors of kirsch, all the berries, bing cherry and plum skin, wax, baking spices, pepper and earth would go well with grilled meats, sausages and/or shellfish.