Abruzzo Wine Region is in an Exciting Phase of Transformation – Part lll – Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo for the Summer!

My new favorite rose style for the summer is “Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo!” and here is why…

This is Abruzzo’s rose and it represents a classic, long-established style that is native only to this region. The DOC has existed since 2010, while previously these (rose) wines were under the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC.

Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo wines get their distinctive deep red colour from a short maceration period (24 hours). The high-level of anthocyanins (in the skin) of the grape imbues the must with colour and tannin during this short process and time. Thereafter, the juice is matured in stainless steel for a few months before bottling.

Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo’s Profile

Cerasuolo wines traditionally have a deep, garnet color, and are made from the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo grape variety. During my recent visit, I found producers and winemakers making these wines lighter and paler in colour than in previous years,

These wines have a fruit-forward profile and energetic acidity along with great intense tannic character and wonderful freshness.  It’s interesting to note that these wines have good aging potential.

I attended a wonderful six-course dinner paired with Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo. What stood out for me what that we dined on local dishes, including antipasto, a risotto dish, white meat dish, and a variety of local seafood and all the wines tasted stood up to these dishes!

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Abruzzo Wine Region is in an Exciting Phase of Transformation – Part ll

The Abruzzo wine region is emerging and being rediscovered not only from cultural, historic, and architectural perspectives, the regional also has remarkable wines and gastronomic traditions. It is interesting to note that Abruzzo is Italy’s fifth-largest wine-producing region.  Wine producers, and grape growers previously focused on quantity over quality.  On my recent trip to the region, I met a new generation of innovative winemakers and wine producers who are revitalizing wine production and it certainly shows that Abruzzo has a bright future!  Here are some of my highlights and experiences on wineries visited and wines tasted.

Emidio Pepe
At a Glance

The vineyards are located in the northern province of Teramo, in the town of Torano Nuovo – between the Adriatic coast and the Gran Sasso and Maiella mountains. The estate has 15 hectares of vineyards; with soils that are rich in clay and limestone. 

  • Emidio Pepe produces three wines: Trebbiano d’Abruzzo; Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, and Pecorino;
  • Is a benchmark-producer of Montepulciano and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo;
  • Is one of the pioneers of Biodynamic winemaking in Italy;
  • No oak used in the winemaking process – fermentation is in cement and then bottle-aged;
  • The grapes are grown biodynamically, hand-harvested, hand-destemmed, fermented with spontaneous yeast and aged 18-24 months in glass-lined cement tanks;
  • Red grapes are crushed by hand, and white grapes are crushed by foot;
  • These are some of the most age-worthy, legendary wines in Abruzzo and in Italy;
  • Emidio Pepe has created some amazingly complex age-worthy reds and whites in a region of mass-produced wines;
  • The family has been producing wines here since the end of the 19th Century, the winemaking process has remained philosophically unchanged since Emidio Pepe took over the estate in 1964;
  • Wine production has been in the hands of the fourth generation of the Pepe family, sisters Daniela and Sofia, since 1997 – more recently, the Chiara de Iulis Pepe has joined the estate as the fifth generation;
  • No additives or sulfites are used; and
  • All bottles are hand-decanted before entering the market.

We received a very warm welcome by Emidio Pepe, and his lovely granddaughter Chiara De lulis Pepe to the family estate.  Chiara showed us the cellars and vineyards.  Chiara explained that she follows the example of her grandfather and would like to continue to make “fine wines that are made to age and evoked this particular place…between the sea and the Gran Sasso range.”

I was served a traditional seven-course dinner which was paired wonderfully with nine wines. First up was Emidio Pepe Trebbiano d’Abruzzo 2019, 2009, and 2004. These vintage whites made from the Trebbiano variety were outstanding. Wonderful classics with brilliant harmony and long length.

I also tasted the 2013 Emidio Pepe Pecorino Colli Aprutini IGT – which was outstanding!

2013 Emidio Pepe Pecorino Colli Aprutini IGT
This as Pepe’s other white wine that you should “must try”!  Highly recommended. Intensely flavored with yellow plums, herbs, white flowers and minerals; full of personality; long length.
93/100

Followed by Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2007, 2003, 2002, 2001, and 1983 vintages.  This was certainly fun and interesting to taste these older vintages – the 1983 and 2001 really stood out for me.

1983 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
The 1983 vintage was fully mature and at its peak today. It exuberated a wonderful nose of red berries, forest floor, herbal notes, spice; while on the palate it was a deep, full-bodied, and complex wine with a wonderful balance and long length.  A wonderful wine!
94/100

The 2000 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo was missing.  This vintage is one of Emidio Pepe’s personal favorites – hence the missing vintage. According to his granddaughter, this vintage was “delicious with beautiful red cherry fruit, licorice and spice.”

2001 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
This dark cherry red wine had wonderful rich aromas of ripe red cherries, herbs, and leather which flowed through to the palate ending with a long and lively finish. This wine has many more years of aging potential.
93/100

“I definitely consider myself extremely lucky to taste all these Emidio Pepe vintages all at one sitting….with the Emidio Pepe family – what a wonderful experience!” Liz Palmer

Website: https://www.emidiopepe.com/en/

Castorani
At at Glance

Castorani dates back to 1793, and is characterized by a stunning 18th-century villa. The organic winery is located between the Majella National Park and the Adriatic Coast, 30 km from the coast. The estate owns 75 acres of beautiful, lush countryside which include the vineyards, in the province of Pescara in Abruzzo.

I was sooooo thrilled to visit Castorani as I am an F1 Fanatic! Castorani was recently acquired by two partners: a former F1 driver, Jarno Trulli, and his manager, Lucio Cavuto.  These two partners have revived the winery, and both take care of the day-to-day activities including winemaking through to the promotion of the wines.

The estate’s principal grape varieties include: Malvasia, Cococciola, Pecorino, Passerina, and Montepulciano. Castorani is also experimenting with new varietals. This estate believes “Pursuit of excellence can only be satisfied through respect for traditional expertise.” Wine production is in a temperature-controlled underground cellar.

Lucio Cavuto gave us a tour of the property, the underground wine production facility, and Angelo Molisani, the winemaker. One of the former F1 cars was the office lobby ….. what a “sight to behold WOW !!! Angelo gave an overview of Castorani’s wine production, vineyards, harvest and other technical details which was followed by an amazing wine tasting experience with both Luco and Angelo.

Wines that stood out:

2015 Jarno Rosso Colline Pescaresi IG
A beautiful intense ruby red colour, intense spice aromas, licorice and red fruits, hints of vanilla, and chocolate; It is full-bodied and rich on the palate with elegant tannins; long finish – intense and persistent. A great wine!
91/100

2016 Amorino Casauria Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC
The colour shows a deep garnet red; concentrated aromas rich in cherry, black pepper, and chocolate; very structured palate, full-bodied and rich; elegant tannins with a long finish.
91/100

Website:  https://www.castorani.it/en/

Other wineries visited include:

Abbazia di Propezzano Website: http://www.destrasser.it/

Strappelli Website: https://cantinastrappelli.it/

Pasetti Winery Website: https://www.pasettivini.it/en/

Next Article in this edition is:
Abruzzo Wine Region is in an Exciting Phase of Transformation – Part lll  Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo for the Summer!

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Abruzzo Wine Region is in an Exciting Phase of Transformation – Part l

I discovered, during my recent trip to the Abruzzo wine region, that it’s in an “exciting phase of transformation” – there are a higher number of family estates; I see more wineries adopting organic farming; and the winemakers are moving toward terroir-focused wines – which are more complex and have distinctive characteristics of the region.

In the early 1970s through to 1980s, this region was dominated by large co-op wineries. During this period most families sold their grapes directly to the co-ops.

About the Abruzzo Wine Region
Abruzzo is an Italian wine region which is on the East coast of Italy, on the Adriatic Sea. I found the geographical features of Abruzzo to be quite extraordinary. It’s a rugged, mountainous region with an extensive rugged coastline, a landscape of lush green, scattered with national parks and forests. Abruzzo is situated between the Adriatic Sea (to the East), the Apennine Mountain range with the Maiella massif (to the West). Gran Sasso, one of Italy’s highest peaks at 2,912m (9,554 ft) can also be found here.

There is only one DOCG, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane, and there are three DOCs: Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, and one white: Trebbiano d’Abruzzo.

The grape varieties include native red Montepulciano and native white Trebbiano. Other native grape varieties include Sangiovese, Passerina, Pecorino and Cococciola. Other international varieties include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Please Note: Abruzzo’s signature red grape “Montepulciano de Abruzzo” should not be confused with Vino Nobile de Montepulciano from Tuscany.

Fun Fact: According to local legend the native white grape “Pecorino” was named after the sheep that ate this grape in the vineyards.

According to the Consorzio Vini d’Abruzzo (the Consortium for the Protection of Wines of Abruzzo) this region currently has approximately 250 wineries, 35 co-ops, 34,000 hectares of vineyards – which produces over 1.2 million bottles of wine per year.

Weather
The coast has a Mediterranean climate – abundant sunshine, with average rainfall of 26 inches per year, followed by cold winters. Inland has more of a continental climate. with snow in the winter. In the high altitudes there are measurable diurnal temperature variations, combined with cool mountain air currents. There are also moderate temperatures on the slope-vineyards, which provides a mesoclimate for the vines.

Abruzzo Viticulture – Vine Training
80% of the vines are Abruzzo-pergola training system which was designed to shade bunches and to make harvest less arduous. The remaining 20%, which are mainly new plantings, have planted in rows with spurred cordon, free cordon, GDC.

Interesting Facts

  • Winemaking traditions in Abruzzo date back to the sixth century BC due to the Etruscans, who played a major role in introducing viniculture to the area.
  • There is also evidence that vine-growing goes back further, as far as the fourth century BC, when sweet, Moscato-style grape “Apianae” was grown. It is also believed that when Hannibal made his epic journey over the Alps, his soldiers were given Abruzzo wine from Teramo, previously known as Pretuzi.
  • In terms of quantitative wine production, Abruzzo is Italy’s fifth most notable wine region followed by Sicily, Puglia, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna.

Located a scenic two-hour drive east from Rome, the Abruzzo wine region marries centuries of tradition with modern style. Cin-cin!

Stay tuned for Part ll – Abruzzo Wine Region is in an Exciting Phase of Transformation, where I will do a deep dive into some of the estates.

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