Merlot wine: undisputed excellency

Merlot grapes have an extremely thin peel, which is born primarily in damp lands, rich in fat and clay.

Merlot wine is born in France, although its harvest is possible in many other regions as well, thanks to the characteristics of the grapes, which can easily adapt to any climate. Enoteca Properzio is the proud owner of a large selection of the best Merlot wines, both Italian and foreign.

Merlot wine: from the vineyards to its sensory characteristics

The sensory characteristics of Merlot are what make it such an excellent product. Its ruby red color offers shades that are velvety and intense. Its taste is a mix of grassy and woody aromas, which make its structure rich and well-balanced. To the palate, it is strong and persistent (almost solid), while its fragrance releases the smell of forest. Among the strongest smells are those of berries, such as blackberries, cranberries and boysenberries; but one can also grasp the smell of pine needles, oregano and other grassy spices. Merlot vineyards can adapt to different climates, which makes it possible to grow these grapes in geographically diverse areas. In Italy, this wine is produced in many regions, although some are more productive than others, Veneto, Sicily, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Tuscany. These lands produce the best Italian Merlot wines. Some are quite famous around the world; others are less famous, though still sold with a great quality/price rapport and produced by great professionals.

The best Merlot wines on Enoteca Properzio

Enoteca Properzio possesses many 100% refined Italian Merlot wines. Among these wines are Masseto di Ornellaia, produced in Tuscany, with qualities that are appreciated by the best sommeliers. It is the perfect wine to combine with the gastronomical delicacies of the region, especially with white and red meat. Enoteca Properzio offers bottles from different production years, each with a specific taste and smell. It is, without a doubt, one of the best italian red wines produced in Italy. For this reason, you can purchase these bottles in an elegant and strong casing, perfect for the high quality of the wine. Another Merlot wine that is worth mentioning is Massetino, created from a blend between Merlot and a small percentage of Cabernet Franc. It bodes perfectly with stew and grilled meat, or with cold cuts and cheese.

The best Italian Merlot and much more!

Let us now focus on a 100% French Merlot wine: the Pétrus Pomerol of Chateau Pétrus. The peculiarity of this wine is the presence of cocoa, pepper, and violet aromas. It is a Merlot wine carefully selected during the production stage. The best quality of this bottle is guaranteed by its specific cultivation area: carefully studied lands to allow this Merlot wine to release its maximum potential. It is not by chance that Pétrus Pomerol is famous world-wide. The ideal degustation temperature is between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius. In the Enoteca Properzio catalogue you will find bottles and casings from different production years to be deeply enjoyed.

The origins of the Tili cellars

The founder of the Tili family arrived here in Central Italy way back in 1200, as one of Barbarossa’s followers. And his descendants have never left. In 1978, following tradition and the family business, the owner of the company started to bottle the wine. His sole aim was to realise the dream of making the wine recognised, tasted and appreciated worldwide. And this is still happening down to today.

The Tili winery, which produces between 90,000 and 100,000 bottles a year, is now known in the United States, Japan, Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland and Germany. The Tili wines stand out as value products due to the calcareous terrain on which they are grown, a terroir that is particularly permeable and unable to hold rainwater. This enriches the organoleptic profile of the grapes with saline. The strength of this family’s vineyards derives from the excellent geographic and climatic conditions. This combined with special growing techniques and lack of pesticides and weed killers produces wines of the highest quality. Tili products include Assisi Bianco DOC, Assisi Grechetto DOC, Assisi Rosso DOC, Gaudium, Muffa Reale, Assisi Pinot Nero DOC, Sacreterre and Young Assisi Rosso DOC.

We are at the Giuseppe Quintarelli winery. Silvio Quintarelli founded the company at the turn of the 20th century. The first vineyards of this historic winery were located in Figàri in the municipality of Marano di Valpolicella. Even then its wines were popular overseas and indeed were exported to the United States in small oak casks and demijohns. In 1924, the company moved to the valley and its present location and it was here that Silvio and his family continued their business. The 1950s brought generational handover, with Giuseppe, the youngest son, now managing the winery. He is the heart and soul of Quintarelli wines.

Quintarelli wines: perfect for aging

He was the one who gave the winery its name, who wrote its history, ensuring the success of Amarone and making his wines famous in Italy and around the world. Giuseppe is the one who has developed the winery, leading it to grow and innovate. However, he has never lost sight of what has given it strength over the years, that is, the traditional method, allowing only a few bunches to fully ripen, respecting nature and its seasons, using exclusively natural materials for growing the vines, handling the grapes and the wine. The wines in the Quintarelli cellars have two characteristics in common: a natural disposition for ageing for at least 10 years in wooden barrels and in bottles, which improves the wine and its characteristics and a liveliness that continues after the bottle has been opened.

Over the years, the various members of the family worked in different activities, through to the start of the 20th century when Edoardo took over management of the estate and started to concentrate the family’s efforts on the production of top quality wines, especially Trebbiano and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, which down to this day remain symbols of the Valentini wine family. This historic, ancient business is now led by Edoardo’s son, Francesco Paolo, who calls himself a “wine artisan”. This artisan has faithfully continued all he learnt from his father, managing, over the years, to produce the very same wine. Day after day, year after year, Francesco Paolo puts the same enthusiasm and energy into his work, saying that he is as in love with his wines as he was the very first day. The cornerstone of his management of the family business has always been to choose an artisanal method for processing the vines and the wine, respecting nature and allowing its fruits to freely emerge. This has led to the decision not to filter the wines, to use only the natural yeasts in the skins and not to control the cellar temperature.