Vintage 2006 for Montepulciano's Vino Nobile was a five-star year, a panel of experts has agreed.
The panel was made up of top winemakers, journalists, wine stewards and consumers who this week gathered here in this Tuscan town for the annual preview of the latest Nobile vintage.
"This is an historic vintage as we have been predicting ever since harvest," observed Massimo Romeo, chairman of the consortium of Vino Nobile producers.
According to Romeo the extraordinary quality of the 2006 harvest was thanks to the decision by growers to thin out their vines and pay greater attention to their best bunches of grapes.
Last year was an important one for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano in regards to sales. The best result came from the United States where imports of Vino Nobile jumped 10%, after climbing 7% the previous year.
Vino Nobile's other important markets include Switzerland, Benelux, Britain, Japan, Canada, Austria and Germany.
In 2006, almost six million bottles of guaranteed and protected Vino Nobile DOCG were produced along with 1.9 million of protected Rosso di Montepulciano DOC.
