The Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a red wine with Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin produced in Tuscany, in the territory of the municipality of Montepulciano in the province of Siena. With the 1980 vintage, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano obtained recognition as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, the first wine to be marketed with the highest classification provided for by Italian regulations.The vineyards are situated at an altitude between 250 and 600 metres above sea level. This wine is made from Sangiovese, minimum 70%. Complementary red grape varieties suitable for cultivation in the Region of Tuscany may also be used up to a maximum of 30%.the vinification and obligatory ageing operations must be carried out within the territory of the municipality of Montepulciano. Controlled and guaranteed designation of origin wine "Vino Nobile di Montepulciano" must undergo a period of maturation of at least two years, starting from the 1st January following the harvest. Within this period the following possible options are left to the discretion of the producers:
1) 24 months of maturation in wood;
2) 18 months minimum of maturation in wood plus the remaining months in another container;
3) 12 months minimum in wood plus 6 months minimum in bottle plus the remaining months in another container.
In cases 2 and 3, the beginning of the period of maturation in wood can not be extended beyond April 30 of the year following the harvest. Controlled and guaranteed designation of origin wine "Vino Nobile di Montepulciano" cannot be released for consumption before the end of the two years of compulsory maturation, calculated from 1st January of the year following that in which the grapes were produced.
Bottling operations, on the other hand, must be carried out within the wine-making area. However, for the controlled and guaranteed designation of origin "Vino Nobile di Montepulciano", which does not have the right to the mention "riserva" (reserve), bottling is allowed in the entire territory of the region of Tuscany to wineries that have been bottling this denomination for at least three years prior to the entry into force of the production regulations currently in force.
Controlled and guaranteed designation of origin wine "Vino Nobile di Montepulciano" deriving from grapes with a minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume of 12.50% and subjected to a period of maturation of at least 3 years, 6 months of which in the bottle, may bear the qualification "reserve" on the label, without prejudice to the minimum periods of use of wood provided for.
