Marcella’s Favorite Wines
Montepulciano
The Aspiring Novelist of Abruzzo
Meet Marcella, from Abruzzo in Central Italy. She's friendly, down-to-earth, and rarely travels outside Italy, she loves the warm, sunny weather right where she is.
Marcella has a medium build and dresses in deep, dark red. When she's not out enjoying the sunshine, she's working on her novel, and when she really needs to focus, she disappears to a cabin in the woods, where she becomes noticeably more intense.
In wine terms? Marcella is Montepulciano, Italy's second most planted red grape after Sangiovese. Typically, it's made into a fruit-forward, friendly wine you could pour on any day.
But give it time aging in oak, and Montepulciano turns more intense, with higher tannins and a deeper, inkier color, not unlike Marcella herself when she's deep in a chapter.
Expect a medium to full-bodied red, deep ruby in the glass. You'll pick up red plum and blackberry, often with dried thyme and baking spice, finishing with a smoky-sweet edge. Montepulciano tends to have medium-high acidity and medium-high tannins, so it likes a little air before you pour.
Montepulciano is almost always grown in Italy, most famously as Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, and it's rarely found much beyond home turf. One thing worth knowing: don't mix this grape up with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a similarly named wine from Tuscany that's actually made from Sangiovese. Same word, completely different grape.
Now let's find you some bottles she'd actually approve of.
Marcella's Top Picks
Great Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is hard to come by in Singapore, so we tracked down one excellent bottle from Pop Up Wine Singapore. Click the wine name to shop it.
1. Great value-for-money
Illuminati : Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva 'Zanna' 2017
Abruzzo, Italy | $66 / bottle
Marcella's pick in Little Italy Wine Box
Marcella says: "Zanna is the wine I'd want to be if I ever finish my novel. It comes from a single vineyard of 45-year-old vines, and you can taste the depth: blackberry, dried flowers, and soft, polished tannins that carry into a long finish. James Suckling gave it 91 points, and honestly, I'd have scored it even higher."
Pairs with: roast red meat, game, or aged cheeses like gorgonzola
Taste her entire tribe
Little Italy Wine Box
Marcella says: "My Illuminati Zanna is in here, with Barbara’s Barbera, Barbarella’s Barbaresco, Amanda’s Amarone, and Chiara’s Chianti."
S$353 · Sale price
Price may change after the sale ends.
Montepulciano Cheat Sheet
| Body | Medium to full |
| Color | Deep ruby to garnet |
| Tasting notes | Red plum, blackberry, dried thyme, baking spice, smoky-sweet finish |
| Serve at | 15–20°C |
| Best with | Sausages, roasted meats, aged cheeses, dishes with rosemary or thyme |
| Avoid with | Delicate seafood, light salads, subtly-flavored dishes |
| Glass type | Oversized red wine glass (large bowl softens the tannins and opens the aromas) |
Meet Marcella
Haven’t met Marcella yet? Enter Vino Village. Hear her stories, pass her challenges, and unlock new characters.
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