Iskra, a wine that makes sparks of flavor

The dream of Gianni Masciarelli to renew viticulture in Abruzzo was shattered in 2008 when a sudden illness took him away at just 52 years old.
But nothing of that dream has changed.
That dream, today we can say, is reality.
The winery is currently composed of four cellars and vineyards spread almost everywhere, and is managed with great professional skill by his wife Marina Cevtic, a woman from the East, dynamic and tenacious, who quickly imposed her personality on the company to the point of creating a line that bears her name.
Her commitment leads her to seek new challenges, new Terroir, until reaching the province of Teramo, in the municipality of Controguerra, in search of a new expression of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.

From 45-year-old vines, at 220 meters above sea level, she creates a new wine: Vino ISKRA.
The name of this wine derives from the Slavic term meaning "Spark", the same light we find in the glass where this pure Montepulciano radiates the light of a ruby – impenetrable, alive, and sparkling.
On the nose it expresses intense, elegant and refined aromas with a range of notes that open to sour cherry and plum, followed by sensations of tobacco, vanilla, liquorice, cinnamon, chocolate and pepper. On the palate the tannic attack is velvety and balanced by a vigorous alcohol content, above 14°, with a persistent finish of plum and blackcurrant.
The Colli Aprutini ISKRA Rosso is an I.G.T.* that ferments in stainless steel tanks, matures for 12 months in French barriques, and refines for a further 24 months in the bottle.
A distinctive wine, to be loved or hated, but certainly consistent with the idea of Montepulciano that Signora Masciarelli sought and desired.
A wine that would be, ultimately, an explosion of flavor or, more precisely, a "Spark" of flavor.

*I.G.T. stands for Indicazione Geografica Tipica

It is worth briefly recalling some notes on the Montepulciano grape from which ISKRA is born:

A native red-berried variety from Abruzzo, widespread throughout the region and partly in the Marche where it is used in blends with Sangiovese. We also find it in Umbria, Molise and Puglia.
Curious is the uncertain origin of the name, which appears to be attributed to the trade dealings of the Medici family of Florence.
As owners of flocks for wool production, they used Abruzzese shepherds for transhumance, who brought grape cuttings to Abruzzo, identified by the name of the city of Montepulciano in Tuscany.
To be precise, between the Montepulciano grape and the vino Nobile di Montepulciano there is no kinship whatsoever.
Montepulciano, together with Sangiovese, best represents the "red" tradition of central Italy. Montepulciano has a cluster of medium size and compactness, almost always winged, pyramidal or conical in shape. It ripens late in the season (generally in the first weeks of October).
Montepulciano grapes are capable of world-class expressions for their power, elegance and breadth of olfactory nuances. Once reserved exclusively for blending, wines based on Montepulciano are characterised by dense, soft and not very aggressive tannins, by hints of cherry and marasca, and by a full finish sustained by a remarkable extractive and alcoholic strength.