Three wines from Abruzzo

Abruzzo is a region in Italy which is famous for two grapes. The green grape Trebbiano and the red grape Montepulciano (not to be confused with the wines made from the town of Montepulciano in Tuscany).

First up is the white wine Mario's 45 made with 100% Trebbiano from the producer Tenuta Terraviva. The Trebbiano grapes for this wine is grown in the traditional Pergola Abruzzese. Harvest time is at the end of September. The wine is aged 12 months in casks, 6 months in steel containers and finally six months in the bottle before being sold. The vintage is 2017. In the nose I get pineapple and in the taste I get pear and grapefruit, It is a nice wine that goes perfectly with spicy food due to the acidity. Will also go very well together with fish.

The next two wines are red wines made from the Montepulciano grapes. First up is the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from producer Umani Ronchi. The vintage is 2018. In the taste I get some oak or dark chocolate with dark cherries  and some blackberry. A very fruity wine. Nice for the price.

The last Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is the Annata Historica from the producer Ripresa. This is an older expression from 2012. The colour is quite dark. The nose is quite soft. In the taste I get cherry, blackberry, violet and some tannins in the back. It has a medium finish, Very nice and I think it will get better with a few more years of ageing.

Seven Rondineto wines from Fattoria Guiseppe Savani

Fattoria Guiseppe Savini is a producer of wine in the region of Abruzzo in Italy. This producer was founded in 1949 and now is owned by the same family in the third generation. The Savini property consist of 600 hectares of which 80 hectars is used for vineyards. The vineyards starts near the sea and goes up into the mountains. Savini has several brands and I have focused on their Rondineto brand and I have tasted seven of their wines. Three red wines and four white ones.

First red wine is their Monepulciano D'Abruzzo from 2015 with an ABV of 13%. The Montepulciano grapes are grown in the area of Teramo. In the taste I get a lot of black currant with some coffee and some more red fruits.

Next wine is the Pinot Nero from 2017 with and ABV of 12,5%. The Pinot Nero grapes are grown in the the area of Teramo. It is a nice Pinot nero with a taste of violet and dark cherry, Quite dry.

The final red wine is Cerasuolo D'Abruzzo which is more like a rose wine with the light red colour, but it is made of the Montepulciano grapes. It is written red wine on the bottle. In the taste I get a lot of strawberry with some more strawberry. Has a nice body for the style.

Now for the first white wine. It is the wine Trebbiano D'Abruzzo from 2017 with an ABV of 12,5%. The Trebbiano grapes are grown in the area of Teramo. The taste is of pear and citrus. Nice with seafood and chicken.

The wine Passerina from 2017 and an ABV of 12,5%. The passerina grapes are grown in the area of Teramo. It is a fresh wine with a taste of apple, pear and some honey and minerals,

Next up is the wine Pecorino from 2017 and an ABV of 12,5%. The pecorino grapes are grown in the area of Teramo. In the taste I get apple, pear, grapefruit and some acidity.

The last wine is a mix of Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay from 2017 with an ABV of 12,5%. It is a light and refreshing wine with a taste of pear and some apricot.

A good line up from Savini. Good wines all over the board.

Three white wine from Abruzo, Gavi and Soave

The Italian white wines are not as famous as the red wines but there are many different white wine grape varieties in Italy and so many regional styles.

Starting from the south in Abruzzo we have the wine Sprezzatura from producer Azienda Marramiero. This wine is made of the grape Trebbiano D'Abruzzo, vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 12%.  This wine I think is only produced for the Swedish Market as I cannot find this wine on the homepage of Azienda Marramiero. When I nose it I smell pears. The taste is of minerals and citrus and the wine has a long fresh taste. I quite like this wine.

Going up north to Veneto and the Soave we find the wine Soave by producer Brigaldara. I tasted some of their red wines when I visited Verona earlier this year. This Soave wine is a white wine from 2016 and the ABV is 13%. When I nose it I can smell elderberries. The taste is of elderberries, pears and some melon. I like this one also.

The last wine is from Piemonte and the region of Gavi. It is a Gavi wine called Spinola from producer Castello Di Tassarolo. A Gavi wine is made of 100% of Cortese grapes and this wine comes from the Municipality of Tassarola. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13%. The taste is fragrant and I get peaches and flowers and it is very good. I definitely want to taste more of these Gavi wines.

Trebbiano vs Grüner Veltiner

It is fun to try two different wines and compare them. This time I tried a Trebbiano D'Abruzzo and compared it with a Grüner Veltiner. The Trebbiano wine from Abruzzo if manufactured by producer Orlando Contucci Ponno and is called Adrio and it is from 2015. The Trebbiano grape is one of the most planted white wine grapes in Italy. This wine is very fresh, has a lot of fruit with green apples in the mix. I could also feel a bit minerals. It is very good but should be drank young.

The Grüner Veltiner wine is from producer Leth in Austria and is of the vintage 2016. This wine is very similar to the previous wine. Very fresh, with fruits and apples in the taste. Also some minerality. I would not be able to feel the difference between these wines in a blind tasting.

I recommend both of these bottles. Very good fresh young white wines.

Three white wines from Itay

I have always liked the white wine from the town of San Gimignano called Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The town of San Gimignano is known for the many towers that the town has. The wine I have tasted is from Fattoria di fugnano e Bomberto and is from 2014. The taste is nice and fresh and surprisingly no aftertaste of bitter almond.

The next wine is from the island of Ischia outside of Napoli, the wine is from producer Azienda Agricola Fratelli Muratori and the wine is called Pietra Brox and is from 2012. The wine consists of the local grapes Biancolella and Forastera with some addition of the grape Fiano. It is from the Ischia Bianco DOC. The color goes a bit towards orange and the taste is strong with notes of grapefruit and citrus. Coupled with seafood this wine is a delight.

Going over to the east coast of Italy is Abruzzo and the wine Trebbiano d'Abruzzo. The producer Barone di Volforte  produces the wine Villa Ambrosia and the vintage is from 2013. It consists of 100% of the grape Trebbiano. The taste is strong and has notes of pears, citrus and peaches. Very good and an excellent food wine.