My wife recently pointed out an article in the Metro that praised Morrisons Villa Verde Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2022 wine as providing the quality of a wine that could be double or even two and a half times its modest price of £6. This piqued my curiosity, particularly because I’ve repurchased a different, slightly pricier, £7.75, The Best Organic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2021 from the same store.
Both wines are produced for Morrisons by Citra Vini Soc., the largest winegrowing cooperative in Abruzzo, comprised of about 5,000 family-run vineyards. This cooperative is renowned for its quality, having been ranked among the world’s top 20 wineries by Wine Spectator Magazine.
Starting with the Villa Verde, it has light notes of sour cherry, dried prune and dried herbs, with an alcohol content of 13%. Both wines share a similar deep ruby red hue, but the Villa Verde and the Organic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo differ significantly in body and flavour. Despite its slightly lower alcohol content of 12.5%, the organic version offers a fuller body and richer flavours of plums, dark chocolate and slight pepper. It has also won an IWSC bronze medal.
The Villa Verde is incredible value, particularly if bought during a 25% discount period, bringing the price down to just £4.50. However, trading up, I much prefer the Organic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, which costs £5.81 with the same discount. This choice seems to strike an even better balance between quality and price.
