Region Of The Week: Abruzzo
With winemaking traditions dating back to sixth century BC, Abruzzo is the fifth largest wine producing region in Italy. Situated halfway down the peninsula, with the Adriatic coast to the east and the Apennine mountains to the west, Abruzzo claims a little more than 32,000 hectares of land. This placement lends itself to a varying climate of warm and dry days closer to the coast, and cool temperatures closest to the mountains.
Best known as the home of the grape Montepulciano, it’s no surprise that 58% of Abruzzo’s wine production is red wine. Believed to be the birthplace of various varietals that are thriving in Northern Italy and France, Abruzzo’s main grapes are Montepulciano and Trebbiano. A couple international grapes play second fiddle, like Chardonnay and Merlot, as well as some native grapes like Passerina, Pecorino, and Cococciola.
