“Pieve”: the Nobile di Montepulciano sub-zones will be on the label

Zoning on the label is a goal that many of the great Italian wine territories have shared, and they have also been working in this direction for years, but so far, only very few have embraced this choice. The first, however, are Barolo and Barbaresco that introduced the Additional Geographical Mentions (MGA) in the production regulations several years ago. Soave, too, the land of volcanic whites that has a long and rich history and a wealth of traditions behind it, gave the green light to the 33 Additional Geographical Units on the label a long time ago. Year after year, studies on crus and subzones, Consortiums and companies, have multiplied, but it is certainly not an easy path to follow, especially because it is necessary to get everyone to agree. For instance, in the case of Nobile di Montepulciano, research of the geology and geography of the territory led to the identification of 12 areas, defined in the UGA (Additional Geographical Units), production specification, which will be placed before the word “Pieve” on the label.
“Vino Nobile di Montepulciano - Pieve”, therefore, is the result of the entire analysis and research process that the Consortium conducted in over a year’s work and research. The desire to expand the production specification, as the wine producers have unanimously stated, has led to the identification of the key features of this new type of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. It will be described not only in the name (the name of the territory of production), but also its characteristics will give life to a wine that will link the past of local winemaking to the present and the future, taking into consideration international consumption. The wine will have the characteristics of the territory (precisely the subzones, Additional Geographical Units), while the blend will be linked to Sangiovese and only the complementary native vines the specification allows with grapes produced exclusively by the bottling company. The other innovation is that an internal commission will be organized within the Consortium, comprised of oenologists and technicians, which will have the task of assessing that the characteristics correspond to the specification, before the required legislative steps. The assembly has unanimously approved the specification; therefore, the process will now take the request to the Tuscan Region, which, once the text has been approved, will send it to the Ministry of Agriculture where it must pass controls put in place by the commission in charge. Considering the possibility of making the specification retroactive to the 2020 harvest, and that the aging times are 36 months, the first vintage should be put on the market in 2024.
The idea of ​​putting “Pieve” on the labels of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano was the result of a study within the denomination, and thanks to various meetings, comparisons and collective analyses, has led to the creation of a unique “vision” of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, supported by experts’ research. On the one hand, from the geological and soil point of view, the Consortium has held this subject near and dear since the 1990s. It was one of the first in Italy to create zoning in the production area, subsequently reported on a map created by ENOGEA, and later the in-depth analysis was moved to libraries and historical archives, up to the 1800 Leopoldino Cadaster. The Pieve represents the identity of the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, which looks to the past. The in-depth study of historical, landscape and wine production brought about the choice to use the territorial names in reference to the ancient churches into which the territory was divided as early as the late Roman and Lombard era.
The objective of the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is to reaffirm and codify a physical reality to its ancient historical roots, which characterized the Poliziano territory up to the modern era. It also finds an echo in the Leopoldino land registry of the early decades of the nineteenth century, which divided the territory into sub-areas defined by name. “We decided to put the name of the Pieve before the sub-area taking into consideration the 500-year history of Montepulciano”, explained Andrea Rossi, president of the Consorzio del Nobile di Montepulciano. “It is an important result that started from a critical analysis of our denomination made together with all the real stars, i.e., the wine producers”, added Andrea Rossi, “and the result is the introduction of a third type of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano that will combine the past, present and future of our wine all in the same bottle”.