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Montepulciano – Sangiovese wines are made from two of Italy's most famous red grape varieties. Montepulciano, a staple of the Abruzzo region, and Sangiovese, Italy's most widely planted and highly revered grape varieties, are used together to make richly structured, somewhat rustic wines that range from prestigious to simple country wines.

The blend is permitted in several DOC appellations across Italy, but most importantly in the Marche DOCs of Rosso Piceno and Rosso Conero on the Adriatic coast. The former of these is Sangiovese-dominant, while the latter must be composed mainly of Montepulciano. In the numerous IGT designations that permit the two, there are no officially defined proportions, and the final blend is left up to the producer.

Sangiovese is prized for its fine balance of acid and tannins, and is responsible for some of Italy's most famous red wines, Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino among them. Sangiovese-dominant wines are structured and rich, with flavors of dark fruit and dried herbs. These wines often require a few years of barrel or bottle maturation to allow the wine to soften and the flavors to properly integrate.

Montepulciano is deeply colored, but has the lighter palate weight of the two grapes and adds a certain roundness to the blend. The soft fruit flavors of Montepulciano marry well with the more expressive, earthen and rustic flavors of Sangiovese.

Somewhat confusingly, Sangiovese is the main ingredient in the famous wines of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, while the Montepulciano grape variety is not permitted at all. This wine is instead named for the small Tuscan village from which it comes.

Food matches for Montepulciano – Sangiovese wines include:

• Sausage and bean stew
• Braised-beef tacos
• Spaghetti and meatballs in tomato sauce