Wine from Molise
Wine from Molise
Molise wines: land of hidden gems
Introduction
Molise, the newest region of Italy, split off from Abruzzo (with which it formed Abruzzi e Molise) in 1970. It is the second smallest in Italy, with the second smallest population to match, in both cases behind only Valle d’Aosta. Like the Alpine region, it’s small enough to be split into only two provinces, Campobasso, most of the region in from the coast (and also containing the capital), and Isernia, in the Apennines; and, like the Alpine region, in spite of its size it has many proud agricultural and culinary traditions, being one of Italy’s most heavily rural regions. Vegetables, sausages, wheat (as in the famous pasta brand) – and, yes, of course, wine.
Molise borders Abruzzo (naturally) to the north, Lazio to the northwest, Campania to the south and Puglia to the southeast. It may have a tiny sliver of beach along its Adriatic coast, but 90% of Molise is at least ‘upland’ as it moves pretty fast into hilly inland before eventually getting to Isernia and the mountains. Campobasso makes up most of the region, and has most of the people, but Isernia more than punches its weight in terms of natural beauty in particular, some of Italy’s most stunning.
The wine
Molise has three DOCs, of which the most recent to be created is causing perhaps the biggest stir these days. Tintilia del Molise was established in just 2011, but there is considerable excitement about the eponymous grape, tintilia, thought to be a Molise original. Named for its dark colour, tintilia had until 2002 been considered a clone of the Sardinian bovale varieties until ampelography revealed this to be erroneous. It is not the most vigorous vine, and particularly in the pre-split days had been uprooted in favour of the recognisable montepulciano grape, but recent decades have shown something of a revival, the DOC status helping considerably to boost interest in this deeply unusual vine.
Tintilia del Molise DOC wines must be at least 95% tintilia, are actually often 100% varietal, and can be made almost anywhere in the region. The wines are utterly fascinating, full but fresh, with good fruit but really notable tertiary flavours, grass and fennel seed and white pepper. A wine really worth discovering.
As are the other two DOCs in this region. Pentro di Isernia DOC is the mountainous one, whose reds tend to blend the Abruzzese montepulciano with some of Tuscan favourite sangiovese and the indigenous tintilia. Owing to its high-altitude climes it is often a wine renowned for its zippy, fleet-footed character, a high-acidity wine with bright crunchy red fruit going on. White wines are also produced under the DOC label, principally from trebbiano toscano with supporting cameos by the Pugliese grape, bombino bianco.
Biferno DOC is the Campobasso contribution to Molisano quality winemaking. Its characteristic reds, made principally from montepulciano with contributions by the Campania favourite aglianico and sometimes a touch of trebbiano toscano, are marked by lower acidity than their mountain neighbours (hence the occasional little lift from the white fruit) owing to the lower gradients in the hills and plains, but which they make up for with their round and bitter tannins, extremely adapted to very rich food. The whites are, like their Isernia counterpart, principally trebbiano and bombino bianco, though with a walk-on this time from the aromatic malvasia. (It should also be noted that both these latter DOCs produce rosés, while the Tintilia del Molise DOC does not).
Only 2% of Molise’s wine production falls under a DOC label, so it is fair to describe it as a growth area. However, it most certainly is growing – after being overshadowed by Abruzzo for so long, it is only now beginning to test the strength of its individual identity as a wine region, with its unique topography and geology and grape-growing heritage. It isn’t easy to source wines from this region; but it is most certainly worth the effort.
Our wines from Molise
A selection of the wines from Molise we sell in our Venice wine shop and ship internationally.
Molise – The breakdown
Location: Southeast.
Climate: mostly cool Mediterranean, maritime and upland.
Soils: morainic and calcium-rich, clay.
Elevation: high to very high.
DOCs: Tintilia del Molise DOC, Pentro di Isernia DOC, Biferno DOC.
Main red grapes: aglianico, montepulciano, sangiovese, tintilia.
Main white grapes: bombino bianco, malvasia, trebbiano toscano.
Hidden gem: Tintilia del Molise is one of the true finds of the south.
About Wine Shop all’Amarone
Wine Shop all’Amarone in Venice offers an exceptional selection of Italian wines, spotlighting the distinguished Amarone della Valpolicella. In addition to our Amarone focus, we proudly feature select wines from Lombardy, showcasing the diversity and richness of Italy’s winemaking regions. Our curated collection is designed to offer wine lovers a taste of Italy’s finest, from the robust flavors of Amarone to the unique profiles of Lombardy wines.
