Back from Abruzzo

A bit buzzed and beat up–drinking a glass of Valentini Trebbianno on my hotel’s roof deck grinning about a recent adventure. This past week was a dive into Abruzzo’s wine country–meeting many winemakers trying to push its identity forward. From the mountains to the sea–this region is one of Italy’s best kept secrets. 

I don’t normally go on wine trips organized by a distributor or consorzio-type organization. Though, there are a lot of pros behind these free trips–it's not the way I like to travel. Wine trips are great; but they are intense and not as glamorous as people like to think. My life in New York is a constant rush: from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep I’m thinking about work and what I need to do to keep the dream alive. There are moments that distract me from the everyday grind; but those are few and far between. Luckily, I love what I do so I don’t often feel the need to disconnect. When I travel, I like to take it slow. 

Dedicated wine trips are great for a lot of different reasons; but the idea of being on someone else’s agenda is not my jam. I barely plan trips as it is–especially in europe. My last trips to Milan, Rome, and Paris–I didn't have a hotel room when I landed at the airport. These are cities that don’t need much planning–there’s always a hotel, there’s always a cafe or restaurant, and there’s always energy on the streets. They are cities that should be enjoyed slowly, without an itinerary to complicate things. Some will disagree like most of the girls I’ve dated; but its just how I like to enjoy time away. It's OK to wander around with no plan and get lost; but that's for another post. 

Wine trips are work and trips like these need planning. Do we need to taste 20 wines between breakfast and our first (of 3) winery visits–no; but it's all part of the process. These trips are intense–both eating and drinking. The winemakers are always very generous with their time, so spending 4-5 hours at the end of your day is not unusual. You taste wine, you snack, you drink, you eat multiple courses, and then you drink more. Sometimes there’s dance parties. 

So how did I get here? There’s always an exception to the rule: enter Jeff Porter. Besides being a dear friend, Jeff is one of the most respected sommeliers/wine educators –especially in regards to Italian wine. Although I have never worked with Jeff, I do consider him a mentor. He embodies all the great things about wine, so any chance I get to travel with him, I do. His relationship with a place and the people who make that place special is what fuels this passion–not fancy bottles or exclusive access. So when I knew Jeff was running this trip–it was a no-brainer. 

This trip was sponsored by the consorzio of Abruzzo, so I was a bit skeptical; but I knew Jeff wouldn’t steer us wrong and there are great producers part of the consorzio. My decision to go was later confirmed when I found out the group I would be traveling with was a bunch of allstars in the wine world. Jeff would be the first to admit that not every visit was going to be revolutionary; but these trips give you a big-picture perspective of what's happening in the region.

The consorzio was tasked at shining a light on the wines from Abruzzo –a region relatively unknown to people outside of Italy.  One of Eric Asimov’s pieces printed earlier this year headlined, “To Find Great Values in Italian Wine, Look to Abruzzo.” It went on to read, “a new generation of exacting growers and winemakers has brought vitality to an Italian region known for its cheap wines.” This article got me excited because people should care more about Abruzzo; whether it be for food, wine, or travel. 

Some sommeliers might be able to tell you about Emidio Pepe or Valentini (the icons); but those wines are just part of Abruzzo’s story. Francesco Paolo Valentini admits, “we must take a joint commitment to ensure that abruzzo is known by an ever larger public.” It’s through this commitment the region is getting some shine and is one to look out for. Here’s what some sommeliers on this trip had to say: 

Rebecca Flynn, formerly at Eleven Madison Park and now at River Pointe Inn in Rumson, NJ said the trip gave her a much better and seemingly instant understanding of geography: “Inland area - mountain wine, chilly nights, fresh air, high elevations, very tannic examples of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Coastal area - way warmer, sea breezes, plusher reds and ripe Cerasuolos.” Moving every night was a bit annoying; but staying in different places allowed us to continue learning about the different provinces. Knowing the geography of a place & learning about different microclimates gives you so much insight into why a wine tastes a certain way. The winemakers that we visited wanted to create wines that identified with the place. 

Steven McDonald, Master Sommelier & Executive Wine Director of Pappas Bros Steakhouses in Texas was particularly impressed with the Cerasuolo, a style of Montepulciano that is lighter and fresher than the ripe & rustic versions the region has been known for. Cerasuolo seemed to be what most of the winemakers were excited about & their enthusiasm was contagious. Catherine Fanelli, Wine Director of Mel’s added, “I appreciated how different they were from each other and how interesting the wines were both on their own and with food. I already have a number of wines from Abruzzo at Mel’s but I would like to increase the Cerasuolo selections.  The wines are so bright and refreshing and are great pizza wines! I think they often get overlooked because while they fall into the rosé category, most people expect their rosé to be very pale pink and Cerasuolo is a much darker and more complex style.”

I remember Femi Oyediran of Graft in Charleston saying if he put a darker rosé in the rosé section it wouldn’t sell; but if he put it in the “chilled red section” then he couldn’t keep it in stock. I always thought about Cerasuolo as a rosé; but maybe we need to shift its currently placement to spread the word of Abruzzo! 

Although the Cerasuolo was top of mind for most of these sommelier’s –the region also produced some great whites that would be perfect for summer. Here’s a cheat sheet to some of our favorite Abruzzo Producers:

Trebbiano: Valentini, Amorotti, Tiberio

Pecorino: Cataldi Madonna, Torre de Beati, Tiberio 

Cerasuolo: Caprera, Amorotti, De Fermo 

Montepulciano: Pepe, Ciavolich, La Valentina, Praesidium