The World of Abruzzo Wines

I recently attended a virtual event on the Abruzzo wine region led by Andrea Erby, Italian Programs Director at the Wine Scholar Guild.  It was a thorough look into the region highlighting all the elements that define this wine region including its history, climate and topography along with its featured grapes.  Let’s take an in-depth look into the Abruzzo wine region. 

Abruzzo’s location and topography 

Abruzzo is located in the central portion of Italy on the eastern side facing the Adriatic Sea.  The Marche region borders to the north, the Lazio region to the west and Molise to the south.  Abruzzo has a unique terrain where there are three types of topography.  On the east side you have 80 miles of coastline filled with sandy beaches.   

The central part of Abruzzo is filled with gentle hills and inland Abruzzo is very mountainous.  About two thirds of Abruzzo is covered with mountainous terrain with steep high elevations.  It hosts the Apennines highest peak, Gran Sasso and the Maiella Massif.  Abruzzo has a very wild, untouched landscape. The southern portion is full of dense Mediterranean scrub.   There are also three national parks and 10+ nature reserves spread throughout.  It has a little bit for everyone to explore. 

The soil and climate of Abruzzo 

The climate is rather mild in Abruzzo on the side of the Adriatic Sea.  Inland is more continental.  The territory experiences large diurnal swings in temperature, which is ideal for growing grapes.  The grapes receive good ventilation that helps prevent the grapes from forming fungus and helps keep the vines healthy. 

In ancient times the land was covered by a vast lake, so the soil is high in clay and marine sediment.  Closer to the coast the soil will be more sand based.  The vine system mostly found on these soils of Abruzzo is the pergola system, used by more than 80% of the vineyards. The pergola system naturally shades the grapes preventing them from getting sunburned and helps slow down the ripening so that the wines don’t result in wines that are too high in alcohol. 

Abruzzo’s wine territories 

Prior to the Renaissance period, the vineyards of Abruzzo were mostly based in the Peligna Valley within the L’Aquila province.  During the period of Italy’s unification, Abruzzo’s viticulture experienced rapid transformation.  Over the last 50 years viticulture has abandoned much of the Peligna Valley and shifted towards the hilly coastal territory.   Where L’Aquila used to have the majority share, today their production is less than 1%.  The Chieti province has about 83% of its territory planted with vines followed by Pescara and Teramo with 10 and 6% respectively.

Sourced from Wikipedia - Abruzzo's wine region and 4 provinces

Abruzzo’s vineyards cover 84,000 acres with about 6,000 grape producers, 250 wineries and 35 wine cooperatives totaling an annual production of 140 million bottles.  As you can see there are many farmers in Abruzzo that sell their production to the cooperatives.   

Abruzzo’s wine designations

Abruzzo has 2 DOCG designations: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane DOCG and the most recent one, Tullum or Terre Tollesi DOCG.  There Abruzzo DOC’s are Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Controguerra, Ortona, Villamagna.  The subzones are Colline Teramane, Colline Pescaresi, Terre di Chieti and Terre Aquilane or Terre de L’Aquila.  These subzones are the only ones that can use Riserva and Superiore on their labels.   

The grapes of Abruzzo 

Abruzzo’s primary grapes are Montepulciano, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Pecorino and Passerina.  Other grapes you will find in Abruzzo that are produced in lesser quantity and are mainly  blending grapes include Malvasia, Cococciola, Montonico and Moscatello.  Let’s take a quick peak at some of Abruzzo’s top grapes. 

Leading the whites is Trebbiano d’Abruzzo.   You may remember the Trebbiano grape when we’ve highlighted Tuscan grapes, where it is known as Trebbiano Toscana.  Trebbiano Toscana is the most planted, but Trebbiano d’Abruzzo has more complexity and body.  It is a delicate grape with thin skins that is light, crisp and easy drinking.   It is a grape that has great acidity, but also has the risk to lose acidity and receive mild rot if not monitored closely.  Some producers will use barrel maturation and lees aging to give these wines more texture.   

Pecorino, along with the Passerina grape, are white grapes in Abruzzo that can also be found in the Marche region.  Percorino faced extinction in the 20th century since it isn’t a high yielding grape.  The producer, Grifone, helped bring this grape back to life. Now plantings have been increasing since the 90’s so we are seeing more and more of this grape on the market.   

Pecorino does well at high altitudes and will reach high sugar levels along with high acidity.  Pecorino, in comparison to it’s fellow Abbruzese friend Trebbiano, has more character.  The wines are dry with floral aromas and notes of tropical fruit, citrus and herbs.  There may also be some hints of minerality on the finish.  

Lastly, Abruzzo’s red grape Montepulciano is not only the top red grape of Abruzzo, but it is also the 2nd most planted red grape of Italy. Montepulciano is a late ripening grape that brings darker color to the glass due to its high anthocyanins. These wines are full-bodied and robust with notes of red and black fruits along with some spice and sometimes a rustic, earthy edge. There are plenty of quaffable Montepulciano d’Abruzzo on the market, but also some beauties with great complexity and ageworthy. 

Sourced from Wikipedia - Montepulciano grape cluster

What are some of your favorite wines of Abruzzo? Do you have any favorite producers?  

You can reference some of my previous blogs on the many wines of Abruzzo.

• Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo: One of Italy's Great Rosè Wines
•  The Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane with Cerelli Spinozzi 
•  The Organic Wines of Abruzzo with La Valentina
•  Summer Food and Wine Pairing: Shrimp Orzo Salad with Trebbiano d'Abruzzo
•  Grape of the Sheep with Umani Ronchi Pecorino
•  The Variety of Abruzzo Wines    



Sourced by the Consorzio Tutela Vini d'Abruzzo

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Zucchini Patties Paired with Monte del Fra Chiaretto di Bardolino

Lake Garda in northern Italy is a perfect place to situate yourself for several reasons.  Not only is the area a beautiful place to tour, but you have great accessibility to many great towns in the not too far distance including Verona, Trento, Brescia and Bergamo to name a few.  Plus, you have the benefit of exploring two regions since Lake Garda sits between the Veneto and Lombardy. Not to mention the classic food and wines of both regions surrounding Lake Garda especially.  Today I’m highlighting one of Italy’s finest rosé wines found at Lake Garda, Chiaretto. 

Where is Chiaretto produced?   

You can find Chiaretto wines produced in both the Veneto and Lombardy wine regions along the southern half of Lake Garda, the largest lake in the Veneto.. The name stems from the word Chiaro meaning light or pale color, which is represented in these wines.  They are lighter in comparison to other rosé wines found throughout Italy such as Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo from the Abruzzo region as well as rosé wines from Puglia and Sicily.   

There are a couple types of Chiaretto produced between the Veneto and Lombardy regions. In the Veneto you will find Chiaretto di Bardolino, named after the town of Bardolino located alongside Lake Garda. These wines were granted the Bardolino DOC Chiaretto status in 1968 with a later name change to Chiaretto di Bardolino DOC in 2018.  

The grapes used in producing Chiaretto di Bardolino are the typical red grapes of the Veneto region, including primarily Corvina along with Rondinella and Molinara.  You will also find these grapes in the wines of Valpolicella, Bardolino and Amarone from the surrounding territories.  

Chiaretto di Bardolino appellation - copyright of Consorzio Vini Bardolino

In the Lombardy region you will also find Chiaretto produced in the subzone of Valténesi.   There you will find Chiaretto produced under the Valténesi Chiaretto Riviera del Garda Classico DOC.  These wines differ from their counterpart as the primary grape in these Chiaretto wines is Groppello along with Marzemino, Sangiovese and Barbera.  With both regions the red grapes are gently pressed and spend a short maceration time to produce the pale pink colors. 

The soils are sandy and stony with morainic hillsides.  Due to these morainic soils, you may find some minerality in these wines.  Chiaretto wines are dry and crisp with notes of citrus, red berries and some stone fruit.  They can also be slightly tannic and tend to have a refreshing, vibrant acidity.   

The wine 

I wrote recently about Monte del Fra so you can read more about this winery on my previous blog.  This week I tasted the 2022 Monte del Fra Chiaretto di Bardolino DOC.  This wine is produced around the area of Sommacampagna sitting just east off the southern tip of Lake Garda.  The hills reside at about 350-490 feet above sea level in soils of morainic origin with calcareous clay, gravel and sand.    

The Monte del Fra Chiaretto di Bardolino is a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara.  The wine spends 24 hours on the skin resulting in a wine with a pale salmon color.  There are aromas of citrus, wild strawberries and a slight herbaceous note.  Fresh and dry on the palate with crisp acidity.  Citrus and red berry flavors with a touch of minerality leave a lengthy, lingering finish.  ABV 12.5%    

Wine Pairing – Chiaretto with Zucchini Patties 

As the weather is warming up here in the northeast I’m getting into my grilling and lighter food fare mindset.  I have been eating a ton of veggies and am expanding my garden this year planting many of my own flowers and vegetables from seeds with my children.  Always a fun activity to partake in and watch them grow!  I’m a huge fan of zucchini and eat it on the regular.  Instead of grilling it or roasting it with some extra virgin olive oil and sea salt I wanted to try making zucchini patties to pair with the Chiaretto. 

This was a simple side dish to prepare and to be honest it also makes a nice lunch alongside some added protein.  I grated about 3-4 smaller zucchinis into a bowl adding a ½ cup of flour, 2 eggs, ¾ cup blend of mozzarella and parmigiano cheese and salt.  Upon mixing the ingredients I formed them into patties and sauteed them in some extra virgin olive oil until brown before flipping a few minutes on each side. I would add a little more flour next time using this many zucchini to thicken the mixture. 

The zucchini patties paired well with the Chiaretto di Bardolino.  Chiaretto tends to be a food friendly wine due to its vibrant acidity.  A light, flavorsome dish paired nicely with the crisp, citrus driven Chiaretto.  

Buon weekend!

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*This wine was provided as a sample, but opinions are always my own.

A Perfect Value Wine Pick with Famiglia Cotarella

Although I love to share the lesser known grapes and wine regions throughout Italy, I also can’t pass up sharing wines I come across in tastings with a fantastic QPR, the quality relative to the wine bottle’s price.  This week that wine is the 2019 Falesco Tenuta Vitiano Rosso under Famiglia Cotarella.   

The winery – Falesco 

Falesco began 3 generations ago in the 60’s with Antonio and Domenico Cotarella whom wanted to start a winery and make their own wine.  In 1979 the Falesco brand was born under brothers Renzo and Riccardo Cotarella.   You may have heard me speak about Riccardo multiple times here at Vino Travels as he is a well-respected winemaker and consultant for over 80 wineries all throughout Italy.  The initial beginnings under Renzo and Riccardo Cotarella were to recover ancient vineyards and varieties through a multitude of experiments and research over the years.  

In 2016 the Famiglia Cotarella umbrella was established over the family’s 4 brands as Renzo and Riccardo’s daughters, Dominica, Marta and Enrica took over the leadership of the business.  The daughters continue to remember the origins of the winery while also allowing the wines produced today to show “elegance and modernity”. 

The vineyards within the Cotarella family span between both the Umbria and Lazio regions from Lake Bolsena in Lazio up to the hills of Orvieto in Umbria occupying over 740 acres.   

The Wine 

The 2019 Falesco Tenuta Vitiano Rosso Umbria IGP is one of the traditional wines under the Falesco line of wines.  The vineyards are located in the comune of Montecchio in Umbria.    

This wine is made up of equal parts Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet.  The wine is fermented in stainless steel and is aged 3 months in neutral oak barrels.  This wine was medium-bodied with firm tannin on the palate, but balanced with fresh acidity.  Ripe cherries with a hint of tobacco.  At only $10 a bottle this wine is a no brainer.  It also seemed to be the hit with the surrounding tasters.   

You can find this wine at Wine.com.

 

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*I may receive commissions if any wines are purchased directly from the above site to support the operations of Vino Travels.  

 

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