Every cuvée worth knowing in Abruzzo: taste, food pairings, history and tags to find your match.
Every cuvée worth knowing in Abruzzo. Each page covers taste, food pairings, history and tags so you can filter by what you want, what you are eating or what mood you are in.
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Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury
Long-lived Loreto Aprutino Trebbiano. Luciano Pignataro, opening a 1998 bottle, found a bright golden colour, peach, apricot, pineapple, hazelnut, candied fruit, broom and mint, with a delicate palate still young and fresh.
Pairs with: Brodetto alla vastese, Grilled Adriatic sea bream, Pecorino di Farindola, young
Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative
Pure Montepulciano built for decades in bottle. A 1985 opened in 2026 showed a deep orange-tinged red, cherry and dried plum over almond, spice, tobacco, liquorice and cocoa, with evolved acidity and smooth, polished tannins.
Pairs with: Arrosticini di pecora, Agnello cace e ove, Aged Canestrato di Castel del Monte
Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Contemplative
A rosato of red-wine proportions. WineMag found the 2016 coral pink and deep, opening slowly on wild strawberry and orange peel over wet stone, then round on the palate with amalgamated salinity and a long mineral close.
Pairs with: Chitarrina teramana with lamb ragu, Fried Adriatic paranza, Scapece alla vastese
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury
Trebbiano abruzzese from Torano Nuovo built to age. A 1995 tasted by Luciano Pignataro kept its straw-yellow brightness after 25 years and opened on renetta apple, dried camomile, sunflower, kaiser pear, medlar and bergamot.
Pairs with: Raw Adriatic prawns, Baccala with potatoes, Ravioli with ricotta and Navelli saffron
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Fruity
Montepulciano pressed by foot in wooden vats and fermented off the skins in glass-lined concrete. WineMag found raspberry, jammy ripe strawberry and pomegranate over a fine floral layer, and a rosato made for the table rather than the aperitivo.
Pairs with: Pallotte cacio e ove, Roast chicken with rosemary, Grilled octopus
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative
The estate's organic Montepulciano, trodden by foot and raised in glass-lined concrete without oak, then bottled unfiltered and decanted off its sediment by hand before shipping.
Pairs with: Braised lamb with mountain herbs, Chitarra with tomato and beef ragu, Aged Pecorino di Farindola
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
Hand-picked Montepulciano from a single high-density vineyard at San Martino sulla Marrucina. The estate describes it as powerful and elegant, with explosive aromatics that keep changing over years in bottle.
Pairs with: Roast red meat, Game, Dark chocolate dessert
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Fruity
Montepulciano given twelve hours on the skins at low temperature and then vinified as a white. The estate describes it as saline and fresh, with intense fresh cherry, sour cherry and pomegranate.
Pairs with: Pasta with tomato sauce, Pizza margherita, Fried vegetables and tempura
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
A blend of separately vinified plots at San Martino sulla Marrucina. The estate describes complexity, freshness and balance, a fine velvety tannic frame and a clean close built to improve with years.
Pairs with: Grilled beef ribeye, Timballo teramano, Aged pecorino
Dry · Full-bodied · Medium acidity · Elegant · Savoury
Trebbiano from Bucchianico, San Martino sulla Marrucina and Ripa Teatina, hand-picked and macerated at controlled temperature, then given French barrique ageing to build weight and texture.
Pairs with: Roast turbot, Risotto with saffron, Roast guinea fowl
Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Elegant
Cryomacerated Trebbiano from Casacanditella at 380 metres, held a year on the lees and two more in bottle. The estate notes white-fleshed fruit, floral tones and iodine-like minerality with a full body and long close.
Pairs with: Adriatic fish soup, Linguine with clams, Raw sea bass
Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
Picked in the second ten days of October, the estate's Riserva is described as rich on the palate and loaded with ripe tannins that give it an unusual softness for its weight.
Pairs with: Roast meats, Coniglio alla cacciatora, Spit-roast pigeon
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
Hand-picked in the first half of October from the estate's own Montepulciano selection, macerated 25 to 30 days with pumpovers and delestage, then nearly two years in large Italian oak.
Pairs with: Braised beef, Chitarra with lamb ragu, Hard aged cheese
Dry · Full-bodied · Medium acidity · Fruity · Rustic
Picked in the second half of September and given 18 to 24 hours on the skins at 12 to 15 degrees. The estate describes a deep cerasa pink, fragrant cherry and ripe marasca, and a velvety, broad palate with notable body.
Pairs with: Grilled swordfish, Cured Abruzzese salumi, Vegetable-stuffed peppers
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury
Massal-selection Trebbiano abruzzese from Cugnoli, cold-macerated six hours and pressed only by gravity. The estate notes intense, refined aromas of nectarine, green apple, hawthorn, orange blossom and aniseed, with a fresh attack and an almond close.
Pairs with: Raw Adriatic scampi, Spaghetti alle vongole, Fresh goat cheese
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury
Single-vineyard Trebbiano from a double Abruzzese pergola over 90 years old, cropped at 27 hectolitres per hectare. The estate calls it very mineral, with green apple, nectarine, mandarin and lemon peel over white flowers and aniseed.
Pairs with: Raw red prawns, Turbot baked with potatoes, Aged Pecorino di Farindola
Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Refreshing
Massal-selection Pecorino given five to six hours of cold skin contact and pressed only by gravity. The estate finds sage, rosemary, green fig, peach and grapefruit, a fresh balanced attack and an enveloping exotic close.
Pairs with: Grilled langoustines, Chicken with rosemary, Vegetable tempura
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Fruity
Montepulciano from a six hectare plot at Cugnoli, juice run off by gravity with no pressing. The estate describes intense, clean cherry, strawberry and red fruit, a fresh saline attack with good acid nerve, and a persistent close.
Pairs with: Pallotte cacio e ove, Grilled sardines, Mortadella and pickles
Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Fruity
Pergola-grown Montepulciano cropped at 45 hectolitres per hectare and raised only in steel and bottle. The estate notes redcurrant, blueberry and sour cherry with violet and pink pepper, a fresh attack and silky fine tannins.
Pairs with: Arrosticini, Sausage and lentils, Pizza with tomato and pecorino
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative
A 1.6 hectare Montepulciano plot with small, thick-skinned berries, cropped at 33 hectolitres per hectare and fermented twenty days on indigenous yeasts. The estate notes yellow peach, sage, citron, cinnamon, marzipan and earth, with silky tannins and a saline character.
Pairs with: Roast kid with herbs, Mushroom risotto, Aged Canestrato
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury
Pecorino from a five hectare east-northeast plot planted in 2005, cropped at 50 hectolitres. The estate finds an elegant nose of citrus and white flowers rounded by honey, then a soft entry lifted by juicy acidity and nervy minerality.
Pairs with: Risotto with cheese sauce, Gnocchi with soft cheese, Fritto di paranza
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Refreshing
Trebbiano abruzzese from a hectare planted in 2008, cold-macerated three to four days then fermented in steel with a small share in acacia. The estate notes robinia and broom, fresh yellow fruit pulp, white pepper and camomile.
Pairs with: Ravioli with ricotta and Navelli saffron, Boiled and raw fish, Fresh cheeses
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Fruity · Refreshing
Made from three separate lots: bled-off red must, very light whole-bunch pressing and cold skin maceration. The estate describes brilliant cherry red, strawberry, pomegranate and cherry with the local citrus lift and clear rose florals.
Pairs with: Mixed Italian antipasti, Sauced first courses, Legume and grain soups
Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Savoury
The estate's first wine, drawn from staggered picking across the whole Loreto Aprutino vineyard. Clean fruit with a measured spice lift from old vines and restrained wood, well-evolved tannins and a natural salinity.
Pairs with: Lamb over coals, Cif e ciaf di maiale, Arrosticini di pecora
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold
From a two hectare pergola planted in 1972 and cropped at 50 hectolitres, picked in three passes from the best-placed parts of the vineyard. Dense ruby, ripe red fruit balanced by black pepper and liquorice with balsamic, chocolate and tobacco tones.
Pairs with: Beef rib steak, Leg of lamb with mountain herbs, Aged sheep's cheese
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative
Made from the vintage's best lots and raised on the lees with batonnage in barrique. The estate describes notable structure, persistence and balance, with floral and spiced aromatics adding a fresh depth to the fruit.
Pairs with: Beef stew braised in Montepulciano, White wild boar stew with juniper, Aged cheeses
Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Fruity
The estate's no-wood Montepulciano, raised in steel and concrete since 2012. Cataldi Madonna describes clean crisp fruit opening on sour cherry and moving to ripe morello, with freshness and drinkability carrying an intriguing complexity.
Pairs with: Arrosticini, Chitarra with tomato and pork ragu, Grilled sausage with lentils
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Fruity · Refreshing
One of the estate's classics, made by the method worked out for Pie delle Vigne. Bright cherry colour, red fruit, strawberry and almond on the nose, with freshness and persistence the producer singles out.
Pairs with: Tomato-based pasta, Fritture di pesce, Pizza with mozzarella and anchovy
Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury
First made in 1997 using the old local svacata, a share of red vinification added to a white one at mid-fermentation. The estate says its nature asks for the drinker's cooperation, since it can read as pink or as red depending on the moment.
Pairs with: Chitarra with Abruzzese ragu, Cured salumi, Meat over coals
Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Refreshing · Easygoing
Made by Luigi Cataldi Madonna for his daughter's eighteenth birthday and described by the estate as a canonical mountain Pecorino: clean-cut acidity, sharp and pleasurable, with a full clean body that pushes the drinker on.
Pairs with: Raw fish, Crustaceans, Aperitivo with olives and almonds
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant
Montepulciano vinified entirely as a white, with no skin contact at all, from free-run juice and a first press at 0.2 bar with indigenous yeasts. The result is a powder-pink wine the estate describes as highly versatile at table.
Pairs with: Vegetable antipasti, Grilled white fish, Fresh cheeses
Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Elegant
From the Zanna vineyard at Controguerra, the estate's first plot, at 280 metres on marly soil with clay. After 24 months in Slavonian oak the wine is ruby, turning garnet with years, with blackberry and wilted flowers and a velvety, soft-tannined palate.
Pairs with: Roast lamb, Timballo teramano, Aged pecorino
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
Picked in the last ten days of October from a plot at Controguerra, then two years in barrique and over two more in bottle. The estate describes a ruby so deep it seems impenetrable, blackberry, plum and raspberry, then vanilla, tobacco and liquorice.
Pairs with: Braised beef cheek, Wild boar, Mature hard cheese
Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Easygoing
The house Montepulciano from vineyards at Controguerra, Corropoli and Torano Nuovo between 200 and 270 metres. Long skin maceration in steel then six months in large Slavonian casks give a round, harmonious wine with ripe red fruit and persistence.
Pairs with: Grilled pork ribs, Pasta with meat sauce, Semi-mature pecorino
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Easygoing
Pure Trebbiano abruzzese from Controguerra at 270 metres, kept entirely in steel. Straw yellow with green highlights, a delicate fruity nose enriched by white flowers, and a dry, fresh palate.
Pairs with: Adriatic fried anchovies, Vegetable risotto, Fresh mozzarella and tomato
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Romantic
Montepulciano given a short cold skin contact, then standard white vinification and steel ageing. A cherry-pink wine with a floral, lingering nose and a fresh, dry, gentle palate, served at 10 to 12 degrees.
Pairs with: Cured ham and melon, Seafood salad, Vegetable frittata
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative
A cru born in 2001 from a selection of Montepulciano off a parcel more than 45 years old, trained to the Abruzzese pergola on a well-ventilated east-facing ridge. Old vines and low yields give a polyphenol-rich, full wine the family calls earthy and refined at once.
Pairs with: Roast beef with rosemary, Timballo teramano, Mature pecorino
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
First made in 2003, Notari blends fruit from three old vineyards with different exposures, ages and training systems. The estate presents it as the wine that best states the character of hills that face the sea under the shelter of the Gran Sasso.
Pairs with: Grilled lamb chops, Maccheroni alla chitarra with ragu, Aged cow's cheese
Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Refreshing
The first wine the family makes each year and their test of the vintage. Carefully chosen grapes give a rosato of good structure in which freshness and minerality are the traits the estate singles out.
Pairs with: Brodetto di pesce, Salumi and pickled vegetables, Grilled vegetables with pecorino
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Elegant
A project begun with the 2017 harvest, vinifying Trebbiano in jars of cocciopesto, the Roman mix of crushed brick, stone fragments, sand and binder. The estate says its microporosity lets the wine breathe without adding any flavour, giving a fine, delicate and markedly mineral white.
Pairs with: Raw shellfish, Grilled octopus, Pecorino and pear
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
The Riserve-line Montepulciano from Rosciano. Dense, deep ruby, with ripe plum and sour cherry moving into darker tobacco, vanilla and liquorice, and a velvety, powerful palate.
Pairs with: Braised beef with bay, Roast lamb shoulder, Aged Canestrato
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative
The estate's Decennali bottling, drawn from mature stocks in the Tenuta Sant'Andrea on the Colline Pescaresi, with bunch selection starting at veraison and ten years of ageing before the wine leaves the cellar.
Pairs with: Aged rib of beef, Truffle and egg tagliolini, Long-aged pecorino
Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
A deep ruby red releasing ripe aromas of dried plum, dates and delicate spices. The estate describes a warm, enveloping palate of notable structure where power and harmony hold each other in balance.
Pairs with: Roast pork with fennel, Baked pasta with meat sauce, Semi-aged cheese
Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury
Fermented and given long ageing in small oak casks, and made in limited quantity. The estate finds a broad, intense aroma with citrus and spice hints, a luminous yellow colour, and a savoury, balanced palate of good structure and persistence.
Pairs with: Roast turbot with potatoes, Risotto with prawns, Roast guinea fowl
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury
From a corner of the estate where exposure and climate bring the fruit to an unusual natural balance. Picking is decided by walking the rows and tasting berries rather than by a fixed schedule, and the wine is the estate's Cerasuolo Superiore.
Pairs with: Grilled squid, Tomato and anchovy bruschetta, Aged prosciutto
Dry · Light-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Easygoing
Named after the sessantapassi, the old Neapolitan-pace measure of the sheep track that crosses the family's vineyards. Pale straw with green tints, fruity with very fine floral notes, and decidedly dry, fresh and lively on the palate.
Pairs with: Raw shellfish, Fried zucchini flowers, Aperitivo with taralli
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
From the Vigna alta cru at Collecorvino, 250 metres up on clay-limestone, cropped at 5,000 vines per hectare and picked in the second ten days of October. Deep, impenetrable ruby, powerful on nose and palate, rich and harmonious.
Pairs with: Roast beef, Game stew, Aged pecorino
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Fruity
Known locally as the wine of one night, since the skins stay in the must only a few hours, long enough for the bright pink colour. Organic Montepulciano from the Vigna giovane at Collecorvino, then about three months in steel.
Pairs with: Tomato-sauced pasta, Fried seafood, Soft sheep's cheese
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury
Pure Pecorino from the Vigneto al Lago at Collecorvino, 200 metres up on clay-silt soil. Cryomaceration and rest in steel are used to hold on to the minerality and freshness the estate wants from the variety.
Pairs with: Grilled sea bream, Spaghetti with clams, Vegetable antipasti
Dry · Light-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Easygoing
Cococciola is a robust native Abruzzese white grape with large, thick-skinned berries, here grown on the Abruzzese pergola at Collecorvino. The estate rates it above all as an aperitif wine for its aromatic lift and marked freshness.
Pairs with: Aperitivo with olives, Fried salt cod, Raw vegetable pinzimonio
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
Twenty to twenty-five days of skin maceration at 28 degrees followed by a further ten to fifteen, then 30 months in American oak. Intense ruby turning garnet, ripe red fruit and preserve with black pepper, and a soft, balanced palate with velvety tannins.
Pairs with: Roast red meat, Brasato, Game
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Savoury
Ten to twelve days of fermentation on the skins at 28 degrees with a submerged cap, then another ten to fifteen days of maceration and up to two years in large Slavonian casks. Intense ruby, ripe plum running to preserve, soft and harmonious on the palate.
Pairs with: Salumi, Pasta with meat sauce, Roast red meat and brasato
Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Savoury
Eight to ten days of skin maceration with the must at 26 degrees in steel, then a year in large Slavonian casks. Intense ruby tending to garnet with age, an intense and complex nose with plum notes, and a soft, pleasantly tannic palate.
Pairs with: Pasta with meat sauce, Roast red meat, Aged cheese
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury
Twelve hours of skin maceration at 8 to 10 degrees in a submerged-cap vinifier, then at least two months on its own lees with weekly stirring. Straw yellow with gold reflections, an intense fruity nose of apple and white flowers, dry and fine on the palate.
Pairs with: Crustaceans, Fish first courses, Fresh cheeses
Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Fruity · Savoury
Soft pressing then a 25 day white fermentation at 16 degrees in stainless steel. Cerasuolo red in colour, with an intense fruity and floral nose led by cherry and a fresh, intense, persistent palate.
Pairs with: Salumi, Fish soup, Mushrooms and pizza
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold
Deep red with violet tints. The estate describes rose and blueberry preserve leading into white pepper, cumin, liquorice and graphite, then an imposing palate marked by dense, vital tannins over a lively freshness.
Pairs with: Pasta with a rich ragu, Mushroom risotto, Game and substantial red meats
Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury
Pressed in an oxygen-free environment, cold-settled for seven days and fermented for ten. Intense straw yellow with golden reflections, broad and fragrant with ripe white-fleshed fruit, and a rich, creamy palate held up by freshness.
Pairs with: Fish first courses, Seafood antipasti, White meats with strong flavours
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Fruity
Free-run juice taken under vacuum pressing, cryomacerated and raised in steel. Medium-intensity cerasuolo pink, clear cherry, strawberry and fresh red fruit with pomegranate, and an agile, savoury palate with a saline mineral trail.
Pairs with: Mixed antipasti, Light pizza, Fresh cheeses
Dry · Light-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury
Pressed in an anaerobic environment, cold-settled at zero degrees for a week and fermented for ten days. Brilliant straw yellow of medium intensity, a floral profile of white flowers with crisp pear, and a slender, agile body marked by freshness and salinity.
Pairs with: Risotto, Fish soups, Vegetarian dishes
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Fruity
The estate's volume Montepulciano from Loreto Aprutino. Many violet shades, intense persistent aromas of cherry, plum and fresh raspberry, a palate rich in small red fruits, and a brief oak passage that leaves dense but unobtrusive tannin.
Pairs with: Grilled sausages, Pasta with tomato and beef, Semi-aged pecorino
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Fruity
From tendone-trained Montepulciano planted between 2003 and 2010. A bright, delicate colour, intense aromas of red-skinned berries with a fresh note of barely ripe marasca, and complex red fruit on the palate with balanced acidity.
Pairs with: Cured ham, Tomato bruschetta, Grilled vegetables
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Easygoing
Straw yellow with green tints, floral on the nose with apple and peach, and fresh on the palate with a pleasant acidity and mineral savour. The estate presents it as a straightforward reading of a variety it says deserves respect for its honesty.
Pairs with: Fried anchovies, Spaghetti with clams, Fresh cheese and broad beans
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
The estate's Riserva, from tendone vines planted between 1995 and 2002 on clay-limestone at 300 metres at Loreto Aprutino, four kilometres from the church of Santa Maria in Piano whose fresco gives the wine its name.
Pairs with: Roast lamb, Braised beef with cloves, Aged pecorino
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold
Born in 1987 from long-established plots on the Loreto Aprutino estate, planted in 1970, 1980 and 1990. After steel fermentation with delestage and pumpovers and a year in wood, the estate describes a wine that is fresh, tannic, soft, full-bodied and ripe, improving with time.
Pairs with: Roast red meat, Wild boar ragu, Aged cheese
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative
Made since 2007 to record the era when Montepulciano fermented in concrete. Grapes are pressed in the estate's old wooden press, fermented spontaneously in concrete without temperature control, rested a year in the same vats and held at least three years in bottle.
Pairs with: Grilled mutton, Lentil and sausage stew, Aged Canestrato
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Contemplative
From a pergola vineyard planted between 1960 and 1970. Hand-picked in September, pressed in the old wooden press and fermented spontaneously with a pied de cuve made from the ripest bunches.
Pairs with: Baked fish with herbs, Chickpea and mussel soup, Semi-aged sheep's cheese
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Fruity
From the youngest rows of the Loreto Aprutino estate, hand-picked and left about eight hours on the skins before white vinification. The estate notes bright pink reflections and light fruity and floral aromas typical of the variety, with a fresh, fruity and savoury drink.
Pairs with: Cured salumi, Tomato-based seafood pasta, Frittata with wild herbs
Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Savoury
Whole berries are fermented after destemming so that only the nobler skin tannins are drawn out, with maceration kept to a maximum of ten days to hold the balance between Montepulciano's power and the drink's freshness, then about two years in buried amphora.
Pairs with: Grilled lamb, Chickpea and pork stew, Semi-aged pecorino
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Funky
Destemmed and given 24 hours in amphora, then soft-pressed and left to ferment spontaneously. Eighteen months buried in terracotta give the slow, steady micro-oxygenation the estate says softens the palate and complicates the aromas.
Pairs with: Grilled sardines, Vegetable and chickpea soup, Aged sheep's cheese
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Funky
Destemmed grapes go straight to the press and are left a few hours in contact with the skins before a soft pressing. The must ferments spontaneously in terracotta, and both malolactic and about six months of ageing happen in the same amphorae.
Pairs with: Fish stew with tomato, Grilled pork skewers, Aubergine with tomato and pecorino
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
Deep, dense ruby. The estate finds ripe red fruit led by cherry in spirit with violet, then tertiary hazelnut, pepper and coffee from long ageing, and a soft, enveloping palate with elegant integrated tannins and a robust structure.
Pairs with: Game, Rare beef steak, High-quality dark chocolate
Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · Medium acidity · Savoury
The first line the family created. Intense ruby, with dark fruit of sour cherry, redcurrant and blackberry woven into liquorice, cinnamon and black pepper, then a harmonious palate of great softness carried by ripe, velvety tannins.
Pairs with: Timballo, Lasagna, Arrosticini
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold
Deep, luminous ruby. A rich nose of ripe plum and sour cherry over wilted violet and undergrowth, then balsamic eucalyptus, liquorice, dark chocolate and tobacco, with a warm, robust palate held by silky tannins and vibrant freshness.
Pairs with: Brasato, Meat stew, Aged cheese
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury
From Montepulciano grown at Capestrano at 450 metres inside the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga national park. Intense cerasuolo pink with marked fresh red fruit of strawberry and cherry, and a palate where acidity and minerality meet a soft structure.
Pairs with: Pallotte cacio e ove, Grilled white meat, Aged Canestrato
Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Refreshing
A pure young Pecorino that now accounts for about a third of the estate's output. Brilliant straw yellow, with dried yellow flowers, citrus, dried fruit and bread crust, and an acid vein and marked minerality balanced by good structure.
Pairs with: Fish first courses, Lasagna in bianco, Fresh cheeses
Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Fruity
Six to seven days of skin maceration with the must at 28 to 30 degrees, then five months in steel. The estate calls the bouquet intense and fine, with cherry and red fruit on the palate, and serves it at 16 to 18 degrees.
Pairs with: First courses, Grilled meat, Semi-aged pecorino
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Fruity
Maceration in the press then static settling after a soft pressing, with temperature-controlled fermentation and steel ageing. The estate calls the bouquet intense and the flavour fruity and floral with a bitter almond aftertaste.
Pairs with: Salumi, Pizza, Fish soup
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Easygoing
Static settling of the must after a soft pressing, then temperature-controlled fermentation and steel ageing. The estate calls the bouquet fine, with apple and flowers on the palate, and serves it at 10 to 12 degrees.
Pairs with: Delicate meat dishes, Delicate fish dishes, Fresh cheese
Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Savoury
Ten to twelve days of fermentative maceration in concrete, then nine months resting in the same material. The estate calls the bouquet intense with red fruit and sour cherry on the palate, from Villamagna fruit on medium-textured soil.
Pairs with: First courses, Meat over coals, Mushroom dishes
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Fruity
Static settling of the must after soft pressing, then temperature-controlled fermentation and steel ageing. The estate calls the bouquet intense, with exotic fruit, apple, honey and mint, and serves it at 10 to 12 degrees.
Pairs with: Roast fish, Fried fish, Cheeses and white meats
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold
Guyot-trained Montepulciano picked in the second ten days of October, macerated 10 to 14 days in steel with manual pumpovers and fermented spontaneously on indigenous yeasts, then rested 12 months before bottling.
Pairs with: Roast lamb, Beef braised in red wine, Aged pecorino
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Fruity
Montepulciano from guyot-trained rows picked in the second ten days of September, soft-pressed after crushing, settled in steel and rested six months in steel before bottling.
Pairs with: Grilled Adriatic fish, Tomato-sauced pasta, Cured ham
Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Elegant
Pergola-trained Trebbiano abruzzese picked in the second ten days of September, soft-pressed and settled in steel, then rested twelve months half in concrete vats and half in steel.
Pairs with: Baked fish with potatoes, Chickpea soup with rosemary, Mature pecorino
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury
Guyot-trained Pecorino picked in the first ten days of September, soft-pressed and settled in steel drums, then six months in steel before bottling.
Pairs with: Raw shellfish, Grilled vegetables, Fresh goat cheese
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
Selected Montepulciano picked by hand into small crates and given a long stay in barrique. Intense ruby with garnet reflections, preserve and spice on the nose with smoky and balsamic nuances, and a full, soft, velvety palate.
Pairs with: Roast red meat, Braised game, Aged cheese
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Fruity
The estate's rosato from red grapes grown at the foot of the Maiella, presented as a noble pink built for the table across both seafood and mountain cooking.
Pairs with: Seafood antipasti, Salumi board, White meats and young cheeses
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury
Pecorino suited to the estate's foothill climate, with low yields per vine sharpening its minerality and long ageing on the fine lees adding juiciness. Straw yellow with green tints, crisp and fresh, with white-fleshed fruit, acacia honey and herbs.
Pairs with: Fish dishes, Fritture, Soups
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
The co-operative's Riserva, made since 1992 from grapes picked in the second half of October. Long skin maceration at controlled temperature in steel, malolactic in vat, then a minimum of nine months in wood. Deep, complex and persistent.
Pairs with: Roast red meat, Braised beef, Aged pecorino
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Funky
Made since 2010, when the cellar turned fifty, by fermenting on the skins with natural yeasts as the old country practice had it. Straw yellow, fresh, with citrus notes and an almond aftertaste.
Pairs with: Grilled fish, Chickpea and pasta soup, Semi-aged pecorino
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury
Picked in mid-September, destemmed, cryomacerated and soft-pressed before a temperature-controlled fermentation. The cellar describes intense citrus, pear and white peach aromas merging with delicate notes of aromatic herbs.
Pairs with: Adriatic seafood risotto, Fried calamari, Vegetable antipasti
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
Drawn from vineyards picked out under the co-operative's Vigneto Qualita project, which selects the best sites and the most committed growers. Vinification uses a prolonged maceration with temperature peaks around 30 degrees.
Pairs with: Roast red meat, Lamb with potatoes, Aged cheese
Dry · Light-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Easygoing
A rare native grape of the Frentana area, pergola-grown and picked slightly early to keep the wine lively. Pale straw, with white flowers, citrus and light spice, brisk acidity and freshness, fruity notes and a faintly almond close.
Pairs with: Aperitivo before lunch, Delicately flavoured fish, Fried vegetables
Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Elegant
The white of the co-operative's Selezioni range, vinified in steel with indigenous yeasts and fermented on the skins for seven or eight days, then a year of elevage on the fine lees and at least six months in bottle before release.
Pairs with: Baked fish, Risotto with vegetables, Semi-aged sheep's cheese
Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Fruity
Agriverde says this bottling dates from the beginning of its production. Ruby red with violet reflections, varietal aromas of wild berries and sour cherry with a light floral touch of violet, and a fruity palate with great freshness, soft tannins and balance.
Pairs with: Grilled pork, Tomato-sauced pasta, Semi-aged cheese
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
Ruby red with violet reflections. The estate credits a careful passage in fine oak for the aromatic complexity: ripe red fruit of sour cherry in spirit, redcurrant and wild blackberry with violet, enriched by toasted cocoa, tobacco, leather and coffee.
Pairs with: Braised red meat, Lamb with herbs, Aged hard cheese
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury
Straw yellow with green tints. The estate calls the nose complex and deep, with white-fleshed fruit, sage and lavender merging into mineral nuances, and the palate fresh, savoury and mineral.
Pairs with: Grilled fish, Vegetable tart, Fresh cheese
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
A Montepulciano grown at Vasto at 190 metres with southern and eastern exposure and fermented in red at a controlled 25 degrees. Intense ruby with light garnet shading, typical fruity and spiced aromas, and a full palate marked by fruit in spirit.
Pairs with: Braised beef, Wild boar, Long-aged cheese
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Fruity
White vinification at a controlled 16 degrees after only a few hours on the skins, from spurred-cordon vines at 190 to 200 metres. Cherry red in colour, fruity with woodland notes, and harmonious on the palate.
Pairs with: Grilled fish, Cured meats, Tomato-based pasta
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury
From spurred-cordon vines at 280 metres with north and west exposure, vinified as a white at a controlled 14 degrees. Straw yellow, fruity on the nose, dry and pleasant with long aromatic persistence.
Pairs with: Seafood antipasti, Pasta with courgette and prawns, Fresh cheese
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
The estate's DOCG Riserva from Canzano. Intense ruby tending to garnet, with very ripe red fruit and woodland berries alongside a wide range of sweet spices, and a profile the producer sums up as elegance with power.
Pairs with: Pecora alla callara, Roast beef, Aged hard cheese
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Fruity · Savoury
Cerasuolo red with bright ruby veins. The estate finds small fleshy red fruits, marasca and cherry with red petals, and calls the palate soft and dry, fresh, savoury, intense and persistent.
Pairs with: Salumi and local cheeses, Tomato-based fish stew, Grilled white meat
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Savoury
Straw yellow with a green rim. The estate notes scents of small white-fleshed fruit and fragrant ripe green citrus, and a palate that is soft and dry with a compact, savoury freshness.
Pairs with: Duck tagliatelle in bianco, Grilled prawns, Fresh cheeses
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold
Picked in mid-October after berry tasting and chemical analysis, with long skin maceration and full malolactic. Deep, intense ruby, sour cherry, blackberry, plum, liquorice, cocoa and violet with integrated toast, vanilla and spice, and abundant granular tannins that turn velvety in bottle.
Pairs with: Roast red meat, Game with juniper, Long-aged pecorino
Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Savoury
Intense ruby with a lightly garnet rim. The estate describes red cherry and sour cherry with bramble, liquorice, violet, tobacco and leather over gentle secondary notes of toast and vanilla, then fresh acidity and solid but supple, slightly granular tannins.
Pairs with: Grilled lamb chops, Pasta with meat ragu, Semi-aged pecorino
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Fruity
Picked in the first ten days of October, soft-pressed and clarified before a temperature-controlled fermentation in steel. Pale pink with violet tints, intensely fruity with cherry and floral notes, medium-bodied and velvety at the close.
Pairs with: Brodetto dell'Adriatico, Roast white meat, Pizza
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
The estate's DOCG Montepulciano, named after the podere on the hill that once held the royal lookout from which the coast was watched for pirate ships.
Pairs with: Roast lamb, Braised beef, Aged pecorino
Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Fruity
The estate says its colour is why no other name would do, and that its structure and the character of the grape make it a wine for many uses rather than a light pink in the French mould.
Pairs with: Fish soup, Cured meats, Grilled white meat
Dry · Light-bodied · High acidity · Easygoing · Refreshing
Drawn from the estate's own vineyards at Roseto degli Abruzzi. The producer calls it cheerful, fresh and light, an everyday wine to drink through a whole meal.
Pairs with: Fried small fish, Vegetable antipasti, Fresh cheese
Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold
A wine the Ulisse brothers present as a tribute to the area around the estate at Crecchio and to the history tied to it, and which the producer describes as marked above all by its class.
Pairs with: Roast red meat, Baked pasta with ragu, Aged cheese
Peak wine-travel season in Abruzzo is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Abruzzo rewards trust.
