It amuses me how Americans are drawn to anything marketed with "Tuscan" in its name. We choose Tuscan red paint manufactured in California, eat Tuscan chicken at chain restaurants next to the mall and set our tables with Tuscan dinnerware fired in China. It seems everyone wants to capitalize on the beauty, image and quality the Tuscans have nurtured for centuries. The Tuscans have certainly set enviable standards; but what about products made in lesser-known regions of Italy, wine in particular?

Chianti wine is produced in central Tuscany and remains Italy's top-selling wine in the official classification of Italian DOC wines (see sidebar). Chianti is followed by Asti (Piemonte region), Oltrepò Pavese (Lombardy), Soave (Veneto) and Valpolicella (Veneto). Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, made in the quiet, non-touristy Abruzzo region, is surprisingly in sixth place.

Abruzzo is blessed with advantageous conditions for raising grapes. The region's long, Adriatic seacoast gives way to hills and finally the Apennine Mountains. Warm, dry, sunny hillside vineyards benefit from sea breezes as well as cool mountain air, much like grapes do in central California.

Wine critics, including Italian ones, have a reputation for looking down on wines produced in southern Italy, although the situation is gradually changing. Many better-regarded French and northern Italian wines contain wine in various measures from the Abruzzo region because much of its production is shipped north for blending purposes. Abruzzo's wine production is sold internationally, 65% in Italy, 25% in the region and 10% exported.

The wine industry in Abruzzo has traditionally been quantity driven rather than quality driven. The region makes the equivalent of forty-five million cases each year. About seventy percent of the wine is not bottled but sold in bulk to other regions and countries. The bulk wine market of southern Italy has become less profitable in recent years and a concerted effort to increase rank and impression is now in place. Growers are reducing their crop size and planting more vines per acre so that each vine produces less but better fruit. The emergence of smaller, privately owned wineries is also a contributing force toward improvement in wine features and development of a classier reputation for Abruzzese wines, which used to be misjudged as supermarket jug varieties.

There are four DOC wines produced in Abruzzo: Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, Controguerra, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane. The last two should not be confused with the Tuscan Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, which takes its name from the town in the province of Siena where it is produced. The Abruzzese wine is made with a grape named Montepulciano. In addition to these DOC wines, many vintners are experimenting with combinations of other varieties that produce wines of superior caliber and sophistication.

The Trebbiano d'Abruzzo (DOC 1972) production area takes in practically the whole region. The wine has a bright golden color and is dry and crisp with a fruity finish. An Abruzzese specialty like spaghetti with clams or any Adriatic catch would go well with this wine.

The newest DOC, Controguerra, is for the vicinity around the town of the same name in the northeastern corner of the province of Teramo. This zone produces full-bodied, dry wines in red and white. There were only a handful of winemakers in the area and their vineyards did not even cover a hundred acres when the Controguerra DOC designation was established in 1996. These passionate winemakers strived to improve their products and make a mark as respected vintners in spite of their restricted production capacity. The Abruzzesi would serve this wine alongside one of the region's famous pasta dishes such as Maccheroni alla Chitarra (guitar string-shaped pasta).

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (DOC 1968) is considered one of the best red Italian wines, rich and dry with deep ruby coloring. The Montepulciano variety is cultivated in all provinces in Abruzzo at altitudes not exceeding 500 meters. Sangiovese grapes from the Chianti area are also used in the production of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. A hearty braciole would taste even better when accompanied by this wine on a cold winter evening.

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane (DOC 1995, DOCG 2003) is made with at least 90% Montepulciano grapes and a maximum of 10% Sangiovese grapes. It has a dry, robust taste. The grapes for this red wine must be raised on certain hills, le colline teramane (Teramo hills). The growing area is eastward from Teramo to the Adriatic Sea, north to the border of Le Marche region and south toward Pescara. This wine goes well with an Abruzzese staple like Stewed Mutton.

Four-fifths of the world's wine is produced in Europe, according to The Italian Trade Commission in New York. I have witnessed a small part of the underrated Abruzzo region's contribution to that hefty figure twice when I visited the hometowns of my paternal grandparents in the province of Teramo. I saw kilometer after kilometer of rolling hillsides dressed in grapevines, and my cousins took me to a winery owned by their friend Franco. The Abruzzesi are proving they can hold their own with anyone in the winemaking field while offering wine drinkers tasty, affordable selections for complementing meals and enriching social gatherings. Salute dall'Abruzzesi!