Abruzo- the mountainous home of the wines of Montepulciano

From Pisa we drove some 500k/300m to the Abruzo region, staying in the tiny town of Caprociano. This town is home to 100 people. It is nestled on a rocky hillside. Our rustic residence was in part dug out of the rock by our host Gaetano, a friendly sixty something jolly good fellow. The pellet stove we used for heat was smoking us out without warming us very well. Our Italian was barely adequate to deal with this issue but his good nature helped get us through. He moved us to his own gorgeous summer house just a two minute walk away.

The area is made for hiking, which is why our travel companions chose the location. Off they went on several occasions, following village to village trails. It was cold and rainy during our short stay but our trekkers did not hold back.

Nearly each little town has a castle, many in ruins but some rebuilt or repaired. We toured the Castello di Pacentro, resting on a steep slope overlooking the valley. I climbed the tower for the fabulous views. It’s a puffer of some 6 stories, its steep stairs posing a challenge for those who never exercise.

We arranged for a wine tasting in tiny Vitorrito. Mariapaola greeted us at their winery. See http://www.vinidicato.it. This is a father/daughter operation making about 6000 bottles a year of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo without pesticides or fertilizers. The main grape is Montepulciano. One bottle she served was the typical mildly tannic red you find everywhere. Another was slightly carbonic, giving a slight fizz. They make a golden hued white from another grape.

Mariapaola showed us their small bottle filler and sealer. They can do four bottles at a time. There is also a corker. They put the labels on by hand. The newspaper Correre della Sera’s book “One Hundred best Italian Wines” names this winery as number 91 of 100, amazing considering its size and the thousands of wineries there are to choose between.

In addition to homemade bread sticks and two homemade sausages (salchichas seches, dry sausages), MariaPaoloa then brought out cake and other sweets. We left some uneaten and she worried aloud in her charming manner if we did not like them.

Another day we went to Pescara, a beach town noted for seafood. For 150 euros for four we enjoyed fine dining and two bottles of wine in an attractive setting. The menu of the day was 25 euros (beverages not included). I had a seafood soup with some thick pasta and lots of shrimp and clams for a mere 13 euros.

Abruzo runs from this mountainous area down to the coast. It lies roughly in the center of the country but strangely considered culturally part of the south. Historically it’s been highly agricultural but from the early 50’s to the mid-90’s, it’s become more industrial. Mechanic engineering, transportation equipment, telecommunications and tourism have become important to its economy. There are boar running around the mountains, hawks and other wildlife.