Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from Lidl

An inexpensive Italian red from Lidl

A few years ago, Dad was unwell and spent some time in hospital. When he was finally released from rehab, I would travel up north to visit him back at home with Mum and we would go on boys’ trips out to get him back into the swing of things again.

On one such mini-adventure, we picked up a couple of bottles of Lidl’s Montepulciano d’Abruzzo on his recommendation. It’s not a wine or region I know much about, but Dad explained that it was a regular favourite on his visits to Media City in Salford.

I never saw it again in the Cambridge Lidl until it got a recommendation from Richard Bampfield MW for 100 AWEsome Wines 2025 (#17 on the list).

Realising it had undergone a slight packaging refresh and been hiding in plain sight all these years, I picked up several bottles partly in memory of Dad but also, more practically, for #1 child’s house party.

Curious about the basis for it making the shortlist of the AWE’s recommended wines, I asked Richard why he had included it: “ I chose the Montepulciano because I had recently tasted it and thought it was a good, authentic example of the grape in its lighter, refreshing style. And obviously inexpensive.”

For the uninitiated, the grape here is Montepulciano and the region is Abruzzo (just outside Rome). Hence, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.

It should not be confused with the similarly-named Vino Nobile di Montepulciano which is a Sangiovese-based wine from Tuscany.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy (Lidl £5.29)

They say:

Dry, red fruits and spiced notes; pair with chicken, beef, game dishes and pasta

I say:

12.5%

vibrant translucent purple; fresh bramble fruits and some spice; fresh and juicy with bramble fruits, plums and cherries; gentle tannins and savouriness. Well made, harmonious and balanced.

Thoroughly pleasant.

Drinks nicely on first opening; opens up with air and can be cellared for greater complexity.

Serve as a quaffer / red-wine aperitif or match with antipasti, pepperoni pizza, salamis or griddled steaks.

Others say:

17) Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy (Lidl £5.29) Just the sort of red that I would like to drink happily and thirstily by the carafe in an Italian trattoria. With lovely purity of crunchy fruit, it is relatively light, super-refreshing and even has a touch of tannin on the finish. Versatile with or without food … and definitely a candidate for serving lightly chilled on a hot day. *Richard Bampfield MW*