Abruzzo....Undiscovered areas....

Finally able to put pen to paper (so to speak) about the adventures discovering the unknown wineries in Abruzzo, Southern Italy.
The weather was 30 + every day, so a lot of vino lubrication was definitely necessary!
We managed to tour a large amount around the Pescara area, in between the Northern Adriatic and the Grand Sasso range of mountains on the East coast of Italy, about half way down the 'boot', opposite Rome on the West coast, and as any vineyard owner in Chile can tell you, the warm days and cool nights make for very conducive grape growing conditions!
This said, the amount of varietals available is kept to the main ones grown here for centuries; Montepulciano for the red corner and Trebbiano for the whites.
There was a splattering of the ubiquitous Chardonnay and a couple of other lesser known types of which I could not pronounce, let alone spell and never to be seen outside of this region! Suffice to say that we did not dwell on these lesser ones as one taste at a tiny boutique estate in Alano put us off for life! Even the owner said it was not his 'favourite' and for an Italian to admit that is to say in English "avoid like the plague"!!!

'Vinicola Bove' was one of the more memorable estates and Dott. Vittorio Festa, the oenologist guided us through the native Montepulciano and the Indigenous Trebbiano.
Okay, so the Trebbiano is what many Italian's like to enjoy ice cold during the summer months with a light pasta or salad at lunch and I have to say we were pleasantly surprised by some of these, being not of the usual insipid lack lustre wines that adorn our shelves in the UK, but rather quite fresh and flavoursome with good length and very little acidity. It just goes to show the old adage that the country usually keeps their best wines for themselves!

The Montepulciano's here really stand up to any competition from other areas! The 'Feudi D'Albe' was amongst my favourites, made in an easy drinking style but with chunky fruit and firm tannins with delightful hints of chocolate and spice enhanced by oak ageing.
Podere Castorani was another memorable estate. Not only for me as a Formula One fan (it is owned by Toyota F1 driver Jarno Trulli) but also as a wine fan, as this 250 year old estate produces some stunning high end examples of not only the local grapes but also an interesting wine called, not surprisingly, 'Jarno', which has stunning Amarone characteristics! Suffice to say that their 'Coste delle Plaie' Montepulciano was outstanding. Was it the atmosphere? The silence on the breeze with a cool 25 degC overlooking the sea on one side and the mountains on the other? Is this what they call work? I do love my job!

I look forward to your comments

Kind Regards and 'Salute'!

David.