How can you tell the difference before buying the wine?
- What's Montepulciano?
- What's the difference between Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano?
- How can you tell the difference before buying the wine?
These questions have answers, and one of the best ways to begin to understand the meaning of the word Montepulciano is to seek guidance within the wine label.
Wine labels depict the identity of the wine. In most cases, labels do reveal where the wine comes from and the kind of grapes that are used (to some extent). I'll save the overwhelming intricacies and give a basic description for now, we can discuss further in future posts.
European wine labels follow the regulations according to their appellation requirements, giving us an idea about wine type, vintage, grape used, or location. In Italian wines, there are details within the labels that might help to identify the wines. I suggest to focus on learning wine regions, which will lead you to explore the grapes that are cultivated within the geographical area. 
VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO (noble wine from Montepulciano) - The region of Montepulciano is where the wine is produced, located in Southern Tuscany. The grapes that are used to make this wine are either 100% Sangiovese or a blend (Mammolo or Canaiolo) by the DOCG standards.
Style of Wine: The wines can often be from medium-full bodied, yielding bold flavors of red fruits,firm tannin, cherries, tobacco leaf, along other nuances extracted from the aging in oak. If you're a fan of Sangiovese driven wines like Chianti Classico, Brunello, or Rosso di Montalcino, you might want to learn more about this wine style.
MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO (Montepulciano from Abruzzo) - Montepulciano is the grape type, cultivated in the region of Abruzzo, located in the Central East of Italy. Abruzzo as a region can produce wines from other grape varieties. However the wines made from the Montepulciano grape have made the wine region famous around the world. To fit the DO standards, the wine can be 100% Montepulciano or blended with a small percentage of Sangiovese.
Style of Wine: Earthy, light-medium wines, floral, red berries, rustic tannin, easy drinking, but can develop to a serious, elegant, complex wine when aged for a period of time. Montepulciano is a comforting wine that can be paired with different range of foods.
Pairing: Red sauce pasta such as spaghetti al pomodoro, will fantastically match with either the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo or Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. For a lighter fare, such as roasted chicken and veggies pair best with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Hearty meat and Pizza lovers, pair it best with a Sangiovese from Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.