Tintilia del Molise

Area and method of production

Tintilia del Molise is a designation of origin registered in December 2011 and named after the grape it is made from. The production area takes in many municipalities in Molise's two provinces, Campobasso and Isernia, and it is one of the region's four DOCs together with Biferno, Molise and Pentro.

The specification requires the wines to be made from at least 95% Tintilia grapes. The remaining 5% may come from non-aromatic grapes of other varieties suited to cultivation in the two provinces.

Winemaking and ageing must take place inside the production area; the exception is the nearby coastal municipalities of Campomarino and Termoli, where these steps are also allowed. From grape to cellar, then, the wine stays bound to Molise soil.

Sources: Qualigeo — Tintilia del Molise DOP · Italia.it — Prodotti e piatti tipici del Molise

How to recognise it

The designation has three types: Rosso, Rosso Riserva and Rosato, and for all of them the label must state the vintage.

The Rosso is an intense ruby red with violet glints; its nose is vinous and intense, with spicy notes, and on the palate it is dry, balanced and soft. The Riserva mention goes to wine aged for at least two years, counted from 1 November of the harvest year: the colour turns garnet with orange glints and the nose becomes spicier.

The Rosato is a more or less deep pink, with a delicate fruity nose and a dry, fresh, fruity palate. Three ways of reading the same grape, from the most immediate to the most patient.

Sources: Qualigeo — Tintilia del Molise DOP

In the kitchen

At the Molise table Tintilia goes with a cooking of the land made of cheeses, cured meats and mountain dishes: the national tourism portal lists it among the wines with which to round off a journey through its flavours, alongside those of the other three DOCs.

The same portal also gives it a local recipe: a risotto finished with caciocavallo, served with a Tintilia reduction and topped with truffle. The wine appears twice, first as a reduction and then in the glass, since the recipe suggests enjoying it with a Tintilia del Molise.

The pairing shows the character of the red well, spicy and soft, next to the full flavour of caciocavallo, one of Molise's traditional cheeses, best known in its Agnone version with a hard rind and straw-yellow colour.

Sources: Italia.it — Prodotti e piatti tipici del Molise · Italia.it — Risotto mantecato al caciocavallo con riduzione di Tintilia e tartufo

Where to taste it

Tintilia can be found throughout Molise, since its area spans both provinces. A natural route follows the river Biferno from the mountains of Campobasso down to the sea, through hills planted with wheat, olives and vines.

On the coast, Termoli is surrounded by vineyards, and Campomarino, a member of the Wine Cities network, has rows of vines looking out over the Adriatic: these are also the two municipalities where the specification allows Tintilia to be made and aged outside the production area. Campomarino holds a wine festival at the end of July.

Inland, towns such as Agnone and Capracotta round off the journey with the cheeses and mountain dishes that Tintilia accompanies at the table.

Sources: Italia.it — Itinerario in Molise tra arte, cultura e gusto · Qualigeo — Tintilia del Molise DOP · Italia.it — Prodotti e piatti tipici del Molise

Protection

• DOC, PDO wine — PDO-IT-A0677 (eAmbrosia — Tintilia del Molise (PDO-IT-A0677) · Qualigeo — Tintilia del Molise DOP)

When

• The sources consulted give no months.

Where

Molise

Read more