The picturesque boot of Italy is known for its scenic landscapes, from miles of seashore to rolling hills dotted with medieval villages to alpine peaks. Abruzzo, a small region whose western border is just 40 miles from the center of Rome, encompasses all this, and more.

Culturally and politically, Abruzzo has long been considered part of southern Italy, yet the region is centrally located, bordered by the Adriatic Sea on the east, Le Marche on the north, Lazio and the Apennine mountains on the west, and Molise to the south.

Mountain Views from Emidio Pepe winery. *All photos by Lisa Denning.*

An Ideal Place for Winemaking

With a mere 30 miles between the mountains and the sea, Abruzzo’s climate and terrain are tailor made for vineyards, with ample sunshine ripening the grapes and cool nights to keep them fresh. The region’s imposing Apennine mountains shield the vineyards from cold winds, while the sea provides warming winter breezes and cooling summer ones, known here as the “brezza di terra.”

Abruzzo’s abundant greenery is also beneficial for grape growing. No other region in Europe has more natural landscape than Abruzzo, with more than 50% of its surface covered by protected areas, including several national parks and natural reserves. These nature preserves are home to a variety of plants and animals, including native wolves as well as the last remaining Marsican brown bears, a critically endangered species. The parks and reserves act as a buffer, protecting the vineyards from extreme weather conditions that are now more common with the changing climate.

With all of this open land, it’s no surprise that Abruzzo is one of Italy's most sparsely populated regions. Its four provinces—Chieti, L’Aquila, Pescara and Teramo—total 4,150 square miles and are inhabited by only 1.3 million people. Compare that to New York City whose 301 square miles are filled with 8.3 million residents! Less people means a healthier environment for vineyards with less pollution of the air and water.

Abruzzo, Then and Now

As a wine-producing area, Abruzzo’s long history can be traced back to Etruscan times in the 6th century BCE, considered Italy’s first great civilization. Winemaking continued to flourish during the time of the Roman Empire and beyond. Travelers and pilgrims from all over came through Abruzzo, lending a lot of diversity to Abruzzo’s heritage, and to its food and wine.

Today, the region is the fifth largest producer of wine in Italy, after Veneto, Puglia, Emilia Romagna and Sicily; its 250+ private wineries and 35 cooperatives produce 3.8 million hectoliters of wine annually.

Similar to what’s been happening recently in other southern Italian wine regions, Abruzzo has been emerging from a period of time when the quantity of wine was more important than the quality. Beginning in the 1960s, Abruzzo’s large cooperatives had begun churning out truckloads of mediocre wine, and for decades later, the region was mostly known for its inexpensive table wine.

Undoubtebly you can still find mass-produced Abruzzese wines today, but the region’s wine industry, including many of the cooperatives, has seen a huge shift towards the crafting of more sophisticated wines. This leap in quality is most notable at small wineries where the biggest changes are occurring. Many of these family-owned businesses are now being run by the next generation who are proudly bottling their own well-made wines, rather than selling their grapes to cooperatives.

A New Wave

These next generation producers are showing a strong commitment to the land, evident by how they take care of its vines. They are deeply invested in promoting the terroir: the inextrincable link between soil, climate, people, and the native grape varieties grown in the region for centuries. They are proving over and over again that indigenous varieties, crafted with care from low yielding vineyards, show the best expression of Abruzzo’s diverse terroir.

Organic farming, on the rise in Abruzzo, is another way the growers are showing a strong commitment to quality, as growing grapes without the use of artificial or synthetic chemicals requires a lot more attention to vines and the soil they grow in.

New technologies are also being used in the vineyards to produce healthier grapes. Strappelli, a certified-organic winery, is using what is called “precise agriculture” to help monitor their vines. The winery has hired Trace Technologies to provide data on the unseeable conditions of a vinyard’s soils, plants and grapes. The analysis is then used to prevent disease, and to reduce spraying in the vineyards. While state-of-the-art technologies are not meant as a replacement for human care, they can aid wine producers enormously by seeing what the human eye cannot.

Experimentation in the cellar is also being embraced by Abruzzo’s winemakers. Innovative wineries like Ciavolich, Tenuta I Fauri, Agricola Cirelli and Vinum Hadrianum are trying out a variety of aging vessels, not necessarily to replace wooden barrels but as an alternative way of expressing the fruit, or even as a way to increase a wine’s complexity and singularity. Stainless steel, clay amphorae and concrete tanks and eggs are increasingly being used for this purpose all over Abruzzo.

It is indeed an exciting time for Abruzzo’s wine industry. No longer viewed as a region of simple, affordable wines, wine critics and consumers alike are seeing Abruzzo as a producer of interesting wines to be enjoyed with a fine meal.

On a recent press trip to the region sponsored by Abruzzo’s Wine Consortium, I was impressed time and again by the quality and variety of red, white, sparkling and rosés offerings. And while it’s true that the stunning sea and mountain views added to the enjoyment, there is no doubt that many of the wines coming out of Abruzzo today are interesting, well-made, and worth getting to know.

Here are Abruzzo’s top native grape varieties.

RED

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

Abruzzo’s signature grape is Montepulciano (no relation to the town of Montepulciano in Tuscany), making up nearly 80% of the region’s wine production. With a high concentration of color and tannins and medium acidity, Montepulciano typically produces big, rich, deep red wines that carry notes of black plum and cherry with hints of black pepper, oregano and tobacco.

Try this short rib recipe with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

The most highly regarded Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is from the Teramane DOCG whose wines are often noted for a robust, earthy character that is tamed by an elegant and velvety texture.

ROSÉ

Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC

The Cerasuolo designation was created for the region’s rosé wine, made exclusively from the Montepulciano grape. The wine is typically medium to pale in color since the contact of the skins with the juice is limited to only a few hours. Cerasuolo is a fruity, medium to full-bodied wine with delicate notes of raspberry and cherry. With a textured mouthfeel, it can go well with both meat and fish dishes.

Try this cod recipe with Abruzzo's Cerasuolo and white wines

WHITE

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo

Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is a wine noted by a distinct floral and fruity bouquet. The wine is typically light golden in color with lively acidity, persistent fruity notes and a touch of almond in the finish; it goes well with all fish-based dishes. There are a few highly-regarded producers, such as Emidio Pepe, who use extensive barrel aging to create a different style of Trebbiano (and Pecorino—see below) with a dark golden color and much greater complexity.

Pecorino

This light-skinned white grape is gaining renewed popularity thanks to its ability to produce ripe, yet crisply acidic wines that pair well with food. Pecorino wines are usually delicately herbal with a floral nose and nuances of pear, apple, fig and lemon, as well as a touch of salinity.

Cococciola

Wines made from Cococciola have fairly high acidity, with delicate aromas of white flowers and citrus fruits like grapefruit and lemon. In the mouth it has a dry, delicate and balanced fruity flavor with great persistence.

Passerina

An aromatic grape, Passerina’s main aromas are apricot, peach, pear, followed by hints of honey, white flowers, thyme, sage, and citrus fruits. With a zippy acidity level, Passerina makes a good pairing with many foods.

Here are some dishes I enjoyed in Abruzzo that were great with the local wines.