Winemaker Notes
This classic of the Abruzzo tradition – which owes its name to its characteristic cherry red color – is made from 100% Montepulciano grapes vinified in white, with 24-hour maceration on the skins. Savory and fresh, it impresses with its intense aromas of fresh cherries, hints of black cherry and pomegranate. Gastronomic wine par excellence, it goes wonderfully with meat, fish, pasta with tomato and vegetables and is perfect with pizza, fried and tempura.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of red apples, pomegranate, dried herbs and flowers. Round-textured and tangy with crisp acidity and refreshing finish with notes of ripe red berries and leafy herbs. Juicy and satisfying. Drink now.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
A warm, Mediterranean vine-growing paradise, in Abruzzo, the distance from mountains to seaside is relatively short. The Apenniness, which run through the center of Italy, rise up on its western side while the Adriatic Sea defines its eastern border.
Wine composition tends to two varieties: Abruzzo’s red grape, Montepulciano and its white, Trebbiano. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo can come in a quaffable, rustic and fruity style that generally drinks best young. It is also capable of making a more serious style, where oak aging tames its purely wild fruit.
Trebbiano in Abruzzo also comes in a couple of varieties. Trebbiano Toscana makes a simple and fruity white. However when meticulously tended, the specific Trebbiano d’Abruzzo-based white wines can be complex and long-lived.
In the region’s efforts to focus on better sites and lower yields, vine acreage has decreased in recent years while quality has increased.