Like stone, even the earth can tell the identity of a place. The vineyards and wines of Abruzzo, which are its children, can therefore well represent a compass out of the ordinary for anyone who wants to get lost in the folds of a millenary history. A narrative that starts from that Peligna Valley indicated by historians as the fertile cradle from which, over time, the cultivation of grapes developed to reach the soft hills located close to the Adriatic coast, thanks also to the extraordinary pedoclimatic characteristics that this region is able to offer with casual generosity.
Widespread mainly through the Abruzzo pergola training system (over 80%), today the Abruzzo vineyard can count on an extension of almost 36,000 hectares, about 75% of which are included in the territory of the province of Chieti; the rest are shared by Pescara and Teramo with about 10% and finally the mountainous province of L’Aquila with less than 4% (source: Consorzio di Tutela dei Vini d’Abruzzo).
The undisputed king and standard-bearer of the regional vines is Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, grown on more than half of the planted area, followed well apart by Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, which occupies just under a third, and by a decent variety of native grape plants white wine deservedly valued by far-sighted producers for some years now, starting with Pecorino and without forgetting Cococciola, Passerina and Montonico. Small percentages of other national and international grape varieties complete the panorama of the regional ampelographic heritage, including Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot grigio.
From such wealth every year an average of just under four million hectoliters of wine are obtained, of which about a quarter are framed in a capillary and probably too complex system of quality certifications – two DOCG and seven DOC, of which five subzones, plus others eight IGT -, testifying the important efforts made over the years by regional enology, due to a tenacious work between the vineyard and the winary, increasingly tending to the creation of products that are witnesses and interpreters of a territory of incomparable beauty.
In detail, established in 2003, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane was the first Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin to be present in the region; Terre Tollesi or Tullum was added to it only in 2019, a micro DOC whose territory coincides entirely with that of the municipality of Tollo, in the province of Chieti. The longest-running certification palm goes to the historic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, recognized as DOC since 1968, a few years before Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, which instead was awarded in 1972.
The Controguerra denomination, recognized in 1996, and the various sub-areas of Montepulciano (Terre dei Vestini, Casauria or Terre di Casauria, Alto Tirino, Terre dei Peligni, Teate) complete the picture of the DOC, all certified in 2010 together with Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo and Abruzzo DOC; to finish with the DOC Ortona and Villamagna, the latest arrivals in 2011. Finally, the wines with Typical Geographical Indication can be traced back to the areas Colli Aprutini, Colli del Sangro, Colline Frentane, Colline Pescaresi, Colline Teatine, Del Vastese (or Histonium) , Terre di Chieti – all approved in 1995 – and Terre Aquilane (or Terre de L’Aquila), ratified in 2008.
According to Gaudenzio D’Angelo, regional president of AIS Abruzzo and Molise, “we no longer have to say that we are growing; instead we have to say that we are already grown up. On a numerical level, Abruzzo wines are giving great results, as evidenced by their growth trend. The consumer begins to ask specifically and directly for Abruzzo wines because, in addition to a great product such as Montepulciano, we can also offer a wide range of other excellent bottles – such as our autochthonous whites – which are giving us great satisfaction, enjoying success and consideration in the main wine competitions ».
Opinion also confirmed by Maurizio Gily – agronomist and Master of Food teacher at the University of Gastronomic Sciences that Slow Food carried out in Pollenzo, Piedmont – on the occasion of a wine tour organized some time ago by regional protection consortia in the context of a promotional campaign that saw the winning combination of wine and culture as the key to open Abruzzo to the rest of the world.
“In addition to Trebbiano, the subject of a major revaluation in recent years, Abruzzo is proving to be able to make great whites of absolute international level. Very good wines when young, but also with a potential for aging and improvement over time, perhaps also thanks to the climatic influence of the mountain which in some respects gives them characteristics more similar to Nordic wines than to those of the south “.
Native vines are increasingly used to make excellent sparkling wines, both Classic Method and Charmant, as shown by some productions already reported in the main sector guides.
In short, that they are immersed in shades of a beautiful ruby red with violet reflections, marked by a more or less intense straw yellow with hints of green or veiled by a soft cherry pink; that are imbued with the intense aromas of black cherries, berries, blackberries, apples or the delicate aroma of flowers, spices and citrus fruits; whether they have a full, robust, velvety and rightly tannic flavor in the mouth or dry, harmonious and pleasantly almondy, the wines of Abruzzo represent the soul of a region that, like few, knows how to combine tradition and modernity, remaining with its feet firmly planted in the mother Earth.
