Vino Nobile di Montepulciano pairs best with aged, medium-cooked steaks, game birds, mushroom dishes, rich pastas, stews, and wild boar.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a medium to full-bodied red wine with high acidity and tannin. Oak is often used in aging Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, however, it is used in a manner that adds structure to the wine in order to showcase the fruit flavours. Thus, expect notes of plum, red cherry, pomegranate, cherry blossom, earth and violet. Aged Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (or wines labelled Riserva) will feature more notes of oak, along with darker berry flavours and hints of herbs, tea, licorice and spice.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a rich and complex red wine from the Tuscany region of Italy, primarily made from the Sangiovese grape variety. As Vino Nobile di Montepulciano only requires a minimum of 70% Sangiovese grapes, you’d expect it to taste similar to a Chianti. However, modern producers often favour 100% Sangiovese, making Vino Nobile di Montepulciano much closer in flavour and style to Brunello di Montalcino. If I were to try to label Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, I would say it was more robust than a Brunello di Montalcino and less acidic than a Chianti.
In any case, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano will pair well with anything you’d pair a Chianti or Brunello di Montalcino with.
Best Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Pairings
Wild Boar Pasta & Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Pairing
Wild Boar Pasta and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano make for an exquisite pairing that highlights the best of Italian flavours. The robust and earthy nature of Vino Nobile beautifully complements the flavourful and gamey essence of wild boar meat and the rich ragù sauce. Meanwhile, The meat’s deep flavours, infused with aromatic herbs and tomatoes, are balanced by the wine’s plum, cherry and pomegranate fruitiness, creating a symphony of flavours that linger on the palate.
The high acidity of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano’s allows it to cut through the richness of the wild boar meat sauce without clashing with the tomatoes in the dish. In addition, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, that hasn’t been aged, tends to have unrefined tannin. The wild boar meat sauce smooths out the wine, bringing more flavour to both the wine and wild boar meat, as tannin breaks down protein molecules, making the meat taste more flavorful.
Roast Pheasant & Mushrooms Paired with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Roasted Pheasant tastes a lot like turkey and chicken, except with a gamier and smokier edge to it. Mild in flavour, you’d expect Vino Nobile di Montepulciano to be too overpowering for Roast Pheasant, however, you have to keep in mind Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is high in acidity, and acidity acts as a magical highighter, bringing out all the flavours it touches.
Roast Pheasant and Mushrooms paired with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a delectable combination that showcases the rich and earthy flavours of both the dish and the wine. The tender, succulent Pheasant, roasted to perfection along with the fungal notes of the mushroom pairs fantastically with the earth, smoke, and spice flavours of a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva. When accompanied by a glass of Vino Nobile, the wine’s complex and fruity character provides a beautiful contrast to the gamey taste of the Pheasant.
Venison Stew & Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Pairing
Venison Stew and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano form a remarkable pairing that highlights the flavours of both the dish and the wine. The hearty, tender Venison in a savoury stew perfectly complements the wine’s robust and complex character. Meanwhile, Vino Nobile’s cherry, plum, chocolate, smoke and earthy notes balance the gamey essence of the Venison, creating a symphony of flavours.
In addition, the wine’s high acidity cut through the stew’s richness, providing a balanced and memorable dining experience. As Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is high in acidity, it can handle any tomatoes tossed into your stew. The high tannin content of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano breaks down protein molecules, bringing out the meatier flavours of your Venison.
Sirloin Steak & Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Pairing
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano works best with grilled steaks that are cooked to medium. Sirloin, being a flavourful steak but also a little chewy, is lovely with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as the high tannin content of the wine denatures the protein, making the steak taste more silky and tender. The protein and fat content of Sirloin Steak smooths out the high tannin found in the wine, allowing the rich flavours of cherry, pomegranate and plum to shine.
For an aged Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva, I’d up my steak game and pair it with a more expensive cut of steak, or a steak accompanied by mushrooms. For the ultimate steak pairing, pair Vino Nobile di Montepulciano with Bistecca alla Fiorentina ( Florentine Steak)
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms & Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Pairing
The earthy and meaty flavours of the grilled Portobello mushrooms beautifully complement the wine’s earthy and robust flavours as the wine’s earthy undertones merge with the savoury grilled mushrooms. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano balanced acidity provide an ideal backdrop for the mushrooms, adding depth and harmony to the pairing.
Eggplant Parmesan & Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano loves tomato-based sauces, so it’ll go great with pizza, pasta and stews that contain tomatoes. It’s also fantastic with earthier and heartier vegetables that pack a lot of flavour, like Eggplant Parmesan.
The high acidity of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano ensures it won’t clash with the tomato sauce. In addition, the wine’s acidity will bring out the eggplant flavours while masking the bitterness of the eggplant. The tannin found in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano will go great with the cheese in the dish, making the cheese and the wine taste richer and silkier.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano vs Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
The main difference between Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is that Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is made with the Montepulciano grape. In contrast, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is made it the Montepulciano region of Tuscany from the Sangiovese grape.