Altero Montepulciano 2022

Australian Montepulciano like this Altero showcases the variety's adaptability to warmer climates, developing richer fruit concentration and softer tannins than its Italian counterparts. The South Australian terroir brings out more pronounced dark berry flavours and cocoa notes, while maintaining the variety's characteristic savoury spice elements. This creates wines that are more immediately approachable yet retain the structural complexity that makes Montepulciano so food-friendly.

Serve this Montepulciano at cellar temperature (16-18°C) to allow its full-bodied character and complex aromatics to shine. The wine's fresh acidity and supple tannins make it incredibly versatile with food - try it with grilled meats, rich pasta dishes, or aged cheeses. Decanting for 30 minutes will help open up the dark berry and spice notes, though it's delicious straight from the bottle too.

The triple 90-point ratings across 'Dangerous Value', 'Killer Vintage', and 'Single Vineyard' categories indicate exceptional quality at multiple levels. 'Dangerous Value' suggests outstanding quality for the price point, while 'Killer Vintage' highlights 2022 as an exceptional year for this wine. The 'Single Vineyard' rating emphasises the wine's terroir expression and site-specific character, marking it as a serious, place-driven wine rather than a basic blend.

While this Montepulciano has 'drink-now charm' with its youthful energy and immediate appeal, its serious structure and supple tannins suggest it will develop beautifully over 3-5 years. The wine's fresh acidity acts as a natural preservative, while the cocoa and spice notes will integrate further with time. However, its current balance of fruit vibrancy and structural complexity means there's no need to wait - it's drinking beautifully right now.

Montepulciano thrives in Australia's warm climate zones, producing wines with intense colour and flavour while maintaining excellent natural acidity. The variety offers winemakers and drinkers the best of both worlds - Italian elegance with Australian fruit power. Its food-friendly nature and ability to express terroir, as demonstrated by this single vineyard example, makes it perfect for Australia's wine and food culture, representing the exciting 'new wave Italian styles' gaining recognition locally and internationally.