2019 Sansedoni Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Italy

As one traverses the low hills of the Apennine Mountain range, vineyards come into view seemingly around every corner. Many of the vines are devoted exclusively to Montepulciano, one of Italy's most popular red wine grapes, which has thrived there since the middle-1700s.

Although it shares its name with the Tuscan town of Montepulciano, the only real connection between the two is that the grape was named after the town. The grape is known for making well-rounded red wines that are extremely food friendly, and it has found a welcoming home in Abruzzo, which has been called “the greenest region in Europe” because of its abundance of national parks and nature reserves.

The 2019 Sansedoni Montepulciano d'Abruzzo dazzles the palate with its fruit, spice and bittersweet chocolate nuances. Drinking this Montepulciano is the next-best thing to being in Abruzzo.