This Wine Wednesday is dedicated to an amazing Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva 2015 from Villa Gemma from the Masciarelli family winery. Everyone who has ever had a wine from Abruzzo in the United States has likely come across the name Gianni Masciarelli. The winery .   produces signature grapes from Abruzzo, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo and exports much of its production.

Located in the town of San Martino Sulla Marrucina in the province of Chieti, between the Adriatic sea and Mount Maiella, the winery has been credited with bringing Abruzzo’s wine making techniques to a new level. The charismatic namesake of this winery died suddenly at 53 but his wife and daughter have carried on the winery.

I have had Villa Gemma wines throughout the years and this one is one of my favorites and I included it in my birthday celebrations. They have been making this flagship wine since 1984. Made from 100% Montepulciano grapes that were harvested by hand from a single vineyard, the wine is deeply colored and full bodied. It is a beautiful expression of this grape with nuanced notes of black fruit, vanilla, tobacco, spice, nuts, and fig. The wine was long lived and had a velvety mouth feel. I drank a bottle with a grilled steak during this birthday week.