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| by
David Lynch, Wine Director
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| THIS
MONTH: ABRUZZO
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Not many people
think of the south of Italy as a skiing destination, but Abruzzo,
one of the most mountainous of Italy’s twenty-one regions, is
just that. Not far from its lofty capital city, L’Aquila, is
the Corno Grande, the highest peak in the Apennines. On the
other side of this mountain wall lies Lazio and its capital,
Roma, but Rome might as well be another world. Abruzzo is the
country, with much of its rugged, sparsely inhabited uplands
devoted to pasture.
Things get greener as the Apennine foothills spill down toward
the Adriatic coast, and the river valleys of Abruzzo’s southern
reaches, near the city of Chieti, include some of the most prolific
vineyards in Italy. This isn’t necessarily a good thing: although
Abruzzo ranks tenth in Italy in terms of total vineyard area,
it ranks fifth in total production, since much of this production
is inexpensive jug wine for supermarkets. But in recent years,
humble Abruzzo has made great strides -- led by well-established
estates such as Illuminati, Valentini, Masciarelli, Cataldi
Madonna, and the region’s cult classic, Emidio Pepe, where grapes
are still crushed by foot at harvest time (Pepe offers vintages
of his Montepulciano d’Abruzzo dating all the way back to 1964).
The perseverance of these and other Abruzzese producers has
led to a great influx of new money and winemaking talent. Abruzzo
is one of Italy’s many “new frontiers,” a place where each vintage
brings greater expectations of the region’s potential.
Italian wine drinkers will find Abruzzo amazingly easy to understand,
at least in comparison to the tangle of grapes and appellations
in other regions. Abruzzo is dominated by two grapes -- the
white trebbiano and the red montepulciano -- and two main appellations,
or DOCs -- Trebbiano d’Abruzzo and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
Generally speaking, the best of both wines are made toward the
northern end of the region, where the mountain foothills reach
closer to the sea, but the Trebbiano d’Abruzzo and Montepulciano
d’Abruzzo appellations effectively cover the whole region.
At the moment, the delicately aromatic trebbiano grape remains
underappreciated. Most Trebbiano d’Abruzzo is light and flinty,
good to sip cold with zuppa di pesce or fritto misto, but it’s
not an especially bold or memorable wine. Montepulciano, however,
with its deep color, soft tannins and deeply fruity taste, is
a grape on the rise. Always plump and pleasant, montepulciano
grows into something much deeper, darker, and more profound
when treated with care in the vineyard.
Don’t confuse Montepulciano d’Abruzzo with the Vino Nobile di
Montepulciano made in nearby Tuscany. The latter is made from
sangiovese in the town of Montepulciano. The former is made
with the montepulciano grape throughout the region of Abruzzo
(the grape is also used heavily in the neighboring Marche region).
This montepulciano mayhem causes great confusion among consumers,
but then it wouldn’t be Italian if there weren’t a little chaos.
Although there are some excellent trebbianos out there (the
boutique producer Edoardo Valentini is considered the master
of the grape), let’s focus on the big, soft reds of Abruzzo.
Their easygoing personalities make them great accompaniments
for spicy dishes like Mario’s Bucatini all’Amatriciana. Not
a lot of tannin to clash with the chili flake.
Cataldi Madonna Montepulciano D’Abruzzo “Tonì”
From one of the few wineries
located in the uplands near L’Aquila, this is a dense, concentrated,
inky Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that always delivers. A sexy wine,
always a crowd-pleaser.
Il Feuduccio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo “Ursonia”
A newly established estate, and one with three slick montepulcianos
to choose from. This one is the “middle child” in the line,
and spends some time in small oak barriques to lend it a chocolatey
richness.
For more on Abruzzo wines, check out our new book,
Vino Italiano, just published by Clarkson-Potter.
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To
purchase any of these wines, visit
Italian Wine Merchants online or in
New York City, just off Union Square! |
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