Controguerra DOC, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC, Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOCMontepulciano, Cabernet Sauvignon55 haControguerra
A Controguerra estate at Piane Tronto farming 55 hectares on the Marche border, making around 600,000 bottles a year per DoctorWine across the Controguerra and Abruzzo denominations.
Why locals love it: Controguerra is the one Abruzzo DOC that allows Cabernet and Merlot, and this Piane Tronto estate of 55 hectares works it from the Marche border.
Tip: Ask about the Controguerra DOC itself. Created in 1996, it is the one corner of Abruzzo where international varieties sit inside the denomination.
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC, IGT Colline PescaresiMontepulciano, Trebbiano Abruzzese, Pecorino, Merlot30 haCasauria
A Pietranico estate of about 30 hectares in the Casauria corridor, farming organically and biodynamically, with an art and wellness programme running beside the cellar.
Why locals love it: Pietranico is a hill village almost no visitor route passes, yet the estate farms 30 hectares organically and biodynamically with an art programme attached.
Tip: Ring ahead. The wellness and art side of the estate runs alongside the cellar, so a visit can take most of an afternoon rather than an hour.
Casauria DOCG, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC, Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOCMontepulciano, PecorinoCasauria
A Castiglione a Casauria cellar working Montepulciano and Pecorino, inside the zone promoted to the Casauria DOCG in 2025. Trades as Quarantasei Srl.
Why locals love it: The cellar sits inside the zone that became the Casauria DOCG in 2025, a mile from the Abbazia di San Clemente, and it is still far less visited than the abbey above it.
Tip: Combine it with the Abbazia di San Clemente a Casauria, founded in 871 and a few minutes away on the same road out of Castiglione.
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOCCasauria
A Nocciano estate between the Pescara valley and the Majella, organic since the early 1990s under AIAB, with five wines made without added sulphites.
Why locals love it: Franco D'Eusanio has bottled wines with no added sulphites at Nocciano since long before the category had a name, and holds AIAB rather than plain organic certification.
Tip: Ask for the five bottlings made with nothing added, held under the 10 mg per litre threshold at which sulphites count as legally absent.
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC, Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOCMontepulciano, Trebbiano Abruzzese, Pecorino, Passerina, CococciolaLoreto Aprutino
A Loreto Aprutino producer at Contrada Cordano covering Trebbiano, Pecorino, Passerina and Cococciola alongside Montepulciano and Cerasuolo.
Why locals love it: Loreto Aprutino is visited for two famous names, and this Contrada Cordano cellar covers all four Abruzzo whites, Trebbiano, Pecorino, Passerina and Cococciola, in one tasting.
Tip: It is the shortest route to understanding the Abruzzo white set: four native varieties from one hill, side by side, in one afternoon.
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC, Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOCLoreto Aprutino
A family estate at Contrada Salmacina in Loreto Aprutino, with vineyards on the Pescara side of the hill and a range published on its own site.
Why locals love it: The family cellar sits at Contrada Salmacina on the Pescara side of the Loreto Aprutino hill, away from the road that carries traffic to the village's better known estates.
Tip: The estate publishes its full range on its own site, which is worth reading before you go so you can ask for the bottlings that never leave the region.
