Abruzzo Wine Experience

Close encounter with a region that in the last decade has increased the export of its wines by 90 percent, while also growing in the domestic market.

Abruzzo Wine Experience is the three-day event organized in Vasto by the Consortium for the Protection of Abruzzo Wines aimed at the trade press, both domestic and foreign, to monitor the sector's performance in terms of quality, vision and prospects. What emerges is a region proud of its winemaking tradition that wants to grow and establish itself, the shift in trends already underway is now more incisive. The future is in the hands of the new generation of producers, stubborn, ambitious and competent, who want to give a new impetus to the territory and its development with their eyes turned to the past but oriented toward the future. They are the Abruzzo of doing, knowing how to do, knowing how to make and know, aiming for wines that are balanced, identity-driven and without upheaval. 

According to data from the Permanent Observatory activated by the Consortium, in a decade Abruzzo has increased the export of its wines by 90%, only in 2021 the growth closed at 10%. The most responsive markets have been the historical benchmarks, USA +12%, Germany +25%, Switzerland +45%, China +33% and Japan +26%. The upward trend also involves consumption in Italy. 

Palazzo d'Avalos, once the home of the Marquises of Vasto, hosted the grand tasting with over 300 labels, perhaps too many for a single day's tasting. The undisputed standout is Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, a full-bodied red, some versions are masterfully interpreted; it is the most widely planted grape variety, occupying about 17,000 hectares, more than half the regional ampelographic base. Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is the best known white variety, whose appellation celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. It is versatile, endowed with so much body that it can be enjoyed both young and in its longer-lived, more complex version. The balance of the 2021 vintage was affected by heat and drought in some cases. 

The Montepulciano grape variety also yields Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, the first appellation in Italy dedicated exclusively to the rosé type. The richer-than-usual color has been maintained without resorting to stylistic compromises. Less well known but no less interesting are a number of native grape varieties that are gaining increasing market appreciation: Pecorino, Passerina, Cococciola and Montonico. 

The simplification project wanted by the Consortium and approved by Mipaaf is called the "Abruzzo Model," which envisages the introduction of the Superiore mention for PDOs "d'Abruzzo" and the reduction of PGIs from 8 to just 1.  "This facilitates promotion and communication," said Valentino Di Campli, the president of the Consortium, "because it will make the different production areas much more recognizable on the markets, especially abroad, and will increasingly enhance the wine/territory binomial; on the other hand, the introduction of a single Igt Terre d'Abruzzo with the reference to the distinctive territory that replaces the 8 attutal ones creates a strong regional image making up for the current fragmentation that is not very incisive. 

Increasingly, tourists combine their passion for wine with the search for places to discover and visit; wine tourism is an important resource for Abruzzo. The wine experience designed by the Consortium allowed visitors to get to know the wonderful and picturesque coastline of the trabocchi, an ancient fishing machine. Along the stretch of coastline between Ortona and Vasto, they stand like sentinels over the sea and stretch out into the void like giant spiders. Many of the trabocchi have become fine restaurants and are ideal locations for technical tests of food and wine pairing. The views take your breath away as the sun sets. 

The wine experience tour is a proposal that is being consolidated with time, the Consortium has created an ad hoc site https://www.abruzzowineexperience.com/.

We propose three wines that have impressed us and are suitable for this summer season. These include a 2014 that speaks volumes about the longevity of Abruzzo's whites.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Torre dei Beati
Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Bianchi Grilli 2020

93/100 - € 18

100% Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. Matura 9 mesi sui propri lieviti. Giallo paglierino intenso. Naso fine e delicato, bouquet floreale a seguire note di frutta a polpa gialla, albicocca e pesca. Palato morbido, asciutto e lungo.

D’Alesio
Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Tenuta del Professore 2014

91/100 - € 35

100% Trebbiano. Affina in botti di rovere di Allier da 30 hl per 18 mesi. Giallo dorato. Profilo olfattivo di grande impatto: fruttato, floreale e speziato. Sapore elegante e pieno. Grande persistenza e beva appagante.

Tenuta i Fauri
Abruzzo Pecorino 2020 

89/100 - € 12

100% Pecorino. Affinamento in vasche di acciaio. Giallo paglierino. Olfatto intenso, fiori di campo, frutta gialla, miele ed erbe di macchia. Sorso persistente, fruttato e speziato.

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