Blend: 80% Montepulciano 20% Aglianico
From: Molise, Italy

Taste: Montepulciano 80% Aglianico 20%, from Molise in the province of Campobasso. Aged part in steel and partly in 500-liter tonneau for a minimum of 36 months. The Italian embodiment of “Fruit, Spice, Everything Nice.” Luscious blackberry and dark cherry with notes of peppercorns and baking spices, spot of jam on the finish with medium tannins reigning in all the fruit.

Pairing: Perfect with meat dishes, roasted and/or braised; hearty Italian food (keep scrolling for a recipe by Florence Fabricant for Italian Pot Roast (Stracotto)). Great with Italian sausage and pasta, aged cheeses, eggplant rollatini, linguine with fresh tomatoes, cherry tomato and basil focaccia, and eggplant parmesan.

Molise is a small (23,475 acres under vine) region overshadowed by its more well-known neighbors - Abruzzo and Lazio to the north and Campania and Puglia to the south. Its relative obscurity belies its impressive history and winemaking cred; wine has been made here since about 500BC, and it has a terroir that is very favorable to the cultivation of grapes. Biferno, named after the river that runs through Molise, is one of two viticultural areas within Molise awarded DOC status; red wines made here are typically blends of Montepulciano and Aglianico, which complement each other beautifully. 

Aglianico's dark, brooding fruits, firm tannins, and bright acidity provide the perfect counterpoint to Montepulciano's plump, soft fruit characters and mild tannic structure; this is deliciously evident in today's wine. Medium-to-full-bodied, it displays loads of blackberry and black raspberry flavors, with hints of savory herbs and woodsmoke that emerge on the mid-palate. Vibrant acidity on the finish keeps the wine light on its feet and makes it a wonderful accompaniment to the everyday Italian foods we love so much.

The history of Tombacco starts way back, when Giovanni Battista Tombacco decided to follow his love for the land and to build the first farm that produced peaches. A few years later, in 1919, aware that the nature of our territory could transform the oldest vines into good wine capable of making people's lives better, even in historically complex times, decided to transform the company's activity into winemaking.

This passion for the land and its fruit also infected the sons of Battista, who following in the footsteps of their father, continued to grow the company step by step. In the 1960s, Bruno Tombacco, thanks to his experience in Venezuela, enlarged the cellar and created logistic warehouse storage in Venice, Mestre and Jesolo, and was followed in 1972 by his brother Adriano.