Wine From Abruzzo

Wine From Abruzzo

Abruzzo is beautiful and lush with vibrant green forests that are protected UNESCO World Heritage sites.

It is best known for its Roman artifacts as well as its famous rosato wine known as Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo.

This is a rose-colored wine from Abruzzo made from the indigenous Montepulciano grape.

This is not to be confused with the wine style known as Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a Tuscan wine made from Sangiovese and other grapes.

Wine From Abruzzo

I have fond memories of my visit to the Abruzzo wine region some years back.

At the time, I was quickly charmed by its humble winemakers, and the delicious white and red wine of the region.

This includes the Montepulciano grape variety for the red wines, and Trebbiano and other varieties for the whites.

In addition to visiting several wineries during that Abruzzo visit, I had the opportunity to visit many museums.

Most offered relics from ancient Rome.

This includes plates, glassware, serving utensils.

Also other aspects of daily Roman life in Abruzzo that had somehow been preserved.

I remember standing in front of all these beautiful exhibits of ancient jugs and plates, and thinking about the people of ancient Abruzzo.

And wine from Abruzzo.

What kind of wine did they enjoy?

The ancient Romans loved wine, so surely those jugs behind the glass wall of the Abruzzo museum held their fare share of wine.

Yet it was not until today, when Winebow invited me to taste some wines made from the Abruzzo Codice Citra cooperative at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that I remembered that magical visit to Abruzzo.

Culinary Curator: Angelis Nannos

On hand to show items that may have been used in connection with wine in Abruzzo, a key city in ancient Rome, was Angelis Nannos.

Do you remember your childhood copy of the book The Cat in the Hat?

Angelis Nannos with his quick movements, rounded John Lennon glasses, and striped “magical” tote bag is the personification of the cat character in this classic children’s book.

A Civil Engineer from Greece by profession, Angelis created a new life for himself as a Culinary curator.

He took it upon himself to introduce food-obsessed New Yorkers and tourists to the culinary arts available in the city.

Today, Angelis’s mission was to present the different ways wine – and food – was served in ancient days through the artifacts on at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Then, having seen these artifacts, it was possible to taste the present-day wine from Abruzzo wine at a beautifully set table in the fine dining restaurant of the Metropolitan Museum dining room.

Wines from Abruzzo

Today Winebow introduced Codice Citra cooperative wines, estate grown and bottled wines from a collection of family-owned vineyards.

Passed down from generation to generation, these families maintain small vineyards with great attention to personal care.

Today I was able to taste white wine from the less well known Pecorino, Passerina and (crazy fun-named) Cococciola grapes along with a 2013 Riserva red from the Montepulciano grape.

The 2017 Ferzo Pecorino Terre di Chieti IGP retails for just $26 and was delicious and refreshing.

The 2017 Ferzo Cococciola Terre di Chieti IGP is also priced at $26, and is a crisp “Tuesday night wine” especially during the summer.

The 2017 Ferzo Passerina Terre di Chieti is at the same price point, and is somewhat similar to the Pecorino but has a bit more texture.

At $30, the red Caroso Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva DOP 2013 Riserva was a modestly oaked red wine with just enough tannic bite to accompany a grilled summer steak.

In warm weather, you might even want to serve it chilled.

Abruzzo Wine: The More Things Change, The More Things Stay the Same

I remember thinking that everything is so new and different in the modern age.

Yet in seeing all the ancient artifacts at the Metropolitan Museum today, it was quite clear that not that much has changed after all.

For example, culinary curator Angelis Nannos showed me an ancient grocery list that featured items not so different from today.

A chicken. Chickpeas. A loaf of bread.

And wine from Abruzzo of course!

Just as today, where “modern people” have an ice bucket to keep their wine cold, in ancient Rome they also had a low-tech device to accomplish the same thing without ice cubes or electricity.

Wine from Abruzzo

The white wines and red wines of Abruzzo are a real value in today’s wine world.

The whites are crisp and refreshing, and the reds earthy and delicious.

Ferzo and Caroso wines are excellent values for the price, and well worth searching out.