Abruzzo's Terroirs Herald Italian Wine Revival
Masciarelli Winery Leads Improvement of Italian Region Wines
Dec 23, 2008
Abruzzo, the forgotten ankle of Italy's boot, is a mountainous region south-east of Rome, between the more popular Tuscany and Umbria to the north and the exotic Apulia to the south. Known more for isolated hill-top towns and WW II battles sites like Ortona, Abruzzo is 70% mountain & nature preserve. But on the terroirs in the lee of the Maiella mountains warmed by the Adriatic Sea, a revival in quality wine has been occurring.
Abruzzo's reds and whites used to be produced more for quantity than quality, and were often used as blends with other wines or cheap table wines. However, Gianni Masciarelli, who recently died in July 2008, arguably began a revival which has become a legacy. In fact, it was a Trebbiano d'Abruzzo which was the table wine of choice at the Tokyo G8 Summit in July/08.
Masciarelli Winery
Angela Acquaviva, export manager for Masciarelli, recounted that Gianni once served his labourers some good burgundy and asked them what they thought. "If you like this wine, then let's make our Montepulciano d'Abruzzo as good as it," he challenged. He studied in Champagne, altered cultivation to focus on less being better and gradually went from 2 hectares in 1981 to almost 275 hectares of vineyards today. Ricardo Cotarella, a leading Italian oenologist said Masciarelli "succeeded in dragging winemaking in Abruzzo into the modern era." He did it in three main areas:
- the vineyard- decreased yield and density, changed from pergola to new world pruning, and used viticultural expertise from other areas
- the winery- temperature controlled cellars using Maiella stone for humidity control, use of French oak barriques and stainless steel vats for balanced aging with no chemical agents
- the terroir- he purchased acreage in 13 separate areas in Chieta, Teramo, Pescara and L'Aqulia giving various altitudes and slope facings from which to harvest blends
Monica Larner, Italian editor of Wine Enthusiast, was prompted to call Gianni "the Guardian Angel of Abruzzo."
Awards
Along with the many accolades, Masciarelli wines also have earned several awards for its Abruzzo varietals.There are three main products, the Classic Range, the Villa Gemma (the name of the family home), and the Marina Cvetic (named after his wife) and each have very high commendations. Some samples are:
- in 2008, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Marina Cvetic ’05 received the Silver Medal in the “Decanter World Wine Awards 2008”
- In 2007, the Villa Gemma 2001 Montepulcianp d'Abruzzo received 95/100 points and was among the Top 50 Selection for Wine Enthusiast
- In 2006 Masciarelli Winery was listed in the Bettane & Dessauve guide “Les Plus Grands Vins du Monde” – 100 Best Wines in the World – with the 3 vintages of Villa Gemma Rosso, ’98, ’00, and ‘01
Indeed the authoritative Richard Parker himself gave the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Marina Cvetic ’01 a complimentary 94 points.
Admittedly Masciarelli winery is not the only maker of quality Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, the native varietals to this region. However it is one of the best. Perhaps it is time to bring Abruzzo wines to the table as excellent samples of Italy's best.
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