Tenute Piccini maps Italy with its Memoro range

Using grapes from regions across Italy, Tenute Piccini has created both emblematic varietal wines and a statement blend in its Memoro range.

Even within a single Italian region, vineyards can be incredibly diverse. If talking about Tuscany, for instance, one might be referring to either the coastal vineyards of Maremma or inland Brunello. In Sicily, the vineyard might be located on a cool, high-altitude site on Etna, or in sun-baked Pantelleria.

How, then, would you represent the entire region, or indeed country, in a single wine? That was the challenge that Piccini, a family winemaker established in Chianti in 1882, set itself. To mark 150 years of the unification of Italy, it released a wine in 2011 emblematic of the entire country. Named Memoro (which translates as ‘I remember’) it eschews many winemaking conventions to convey the country’s viticultural history.

The initial bottling, Memoro Rosso, was a completely new style for the longstanding producer. “I wanted to challenge myself and create something entirely new and unique,” explains CEO Mario Piccini. Rather than pick a single region and bottle its individual vintages, Piccini decided to make a multi-vintage blend from regions all over Italy. He describes it as “a wine without borders, a wine that embodies the essence of Italy, proving that quality knows no limits”. It has since become the company’s best-seller in the UK.

The four components of the red wine were carefully selected for their diversity and harmony within a blend. However, Piccini realised that the components were equally effective by themselves. Each has therefore also been released as a varietal wine. The Elementi range, a reference to the four classical elements, was presented at Vinitaly 2024.

Nero d’Avola from Sicily has dark cherry aromas and, in its association with Etna, represents fire. Montepulciano from coastal Abruzzo shows bright acidity and symbolises water. Primitivo, representing earth, comes from fertile Puglia and offers roundness from its appassimento grapes. Finally, Merlot from hilly Veneto has been bottled as a representation of air, with notes of plum and a fine balance.

Such has been the success of the bold overall blend that Piccini has since released Memoro Bianco and Memoro Rosato, each again combining four varieties from across the nation. Meanwhile, the Elementi bottlings are winning over drinkers, as evidenced in Patrick Schmitt MW’s notes below. For a nation that takes pride both in its unity and in its diverse regions, the Memoro range has become a fitting tribute.

Piccini Memoro Italia Primitivo 2022

• Producer: Tenute Piccini
• Region: Puglia
• Country: Italy
• Grape variety: 100% Primitivo
• ABV: 14%
• Approx. retail price: £9

It would be hard to find more bang for your buck than this sub-£10 Puglian Primitivo from Piccini. With flavours not unlike high-priced Amarone, there are notes of raisins and prunes, then dried cherries too, mixed with cedar wood and plums, and followed by masses of grippy tannins, bringing a welcome dry and mouthwatering edge to a rich and powerful wine. Pair with Florentine steak.

Piccini Memoro Italia Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2022

• Producer: Tenute Piccini
• Region: Abruzzo
• Country: Italy
• Grape variety: 100% Montepulciano
• ABV: 13.5%
• Approx. retail price: £9

A generous and crowd-pleasing red for a surprisingly low price, this Montepulciano d’Abruzzo delivers a delicious mix of ripe fruit and sweet oak for less than £10. Expect a combination of milk chocolate and black cherry, caramel and plums, with a balancing freshness, and a lingering mix of firm tannins and fresh red berry fruit on the finish. A brilliant wine for when you’re serving sausages or any grilled meat.