A Quick Stop in Abruzzo

[Todd Abrams]

We spent two nights in a third floor apartment on the outskirts of Tivoli, Italy where I discovered Bar Belli and a fairly nice selection of Italian wines. I've been looking to bring Emidio Pepe into my local market for some time now but when I finally had access I could not stomach the prices, now even more so since I bought them for next to nothing in Tivoli. But that's another (boring) story.

2009 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - Lush and deeply concentrated with joyous fruit and smoky earth. It reminded me of Didier Barral's Faugeres wines in sensibility, a bit savage yet ultimately quite charming.

2012 Trebbiano d'Abruzzo I was less taken by this wine. Although the joyous fruit was in abundance, it felt a bit unfocused.

I Should have dug deep for the Valentini but I needed the money to support our gelato habit.

The next day I went back for the magnum of 2012 Pepe Montepulciano. It was the only wine I brought home with me and it drank beautifully Sunday evening on a patio in Ferndale with friends. It seems that the Pepe wines don't need extended aging to make people happy. Although I do question the conditions they were kept in at Bar Belli. Perhaps they were more advanced than typical.

Saturday, we woke to clouds and rain in Tivoli. No better time to hit the Autostrada east over the Apennines and visit Cristiana Tiberio. The opposite of unfocused is Fonte Canale, her top cuvee of Trebbiano d'Abruzzo. She is deeply proud of her heritage and doesn't particularly like the comparison of Fonte Canale to grand cru Chablis but the crunchy lime peel, razor-sharp finish coupled with generous fruit begs the equation. We drank a bottle of Fonte Canale with a gorgeously executed tasting menu at the remote and highly acclaimed Ristorante La Bandiera. Also in the mix was a bottle of her 2013 Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, a surprisingly good pairing with Arrosticini Abruzzesi on gin-soaked skewers.

While not as ambitious as Pepe's, Cristiana's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is nevertheless a fantastic example of the type. It has a clarity of place that transcends its humble roots and reasonable price. I'll be drinking it all summer long next to her sinewy Pecorino.

Cristiana Tiberio's Montepulciano vineyards with the snow-capped Majella in the distance.

Cristiana hanging out with old Trebbiano Abruzzesi vines.

 

[Levi Dalton]

Todd,

Are you aware that the Pepe that is sold in Italy is different (and much cheaper than) the Pepe that is sold in the States? The above seems to indicate that you may not be aware of this difference, in that the Pepe sold in the States is essentially a Riserva of older vines, with longer bottle age before sale.

The Pepe sold in Italy is notably less expensive, as well as a more straightforward wine. This is true in both white and red.

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

Todd, thanks for the report!

Levi, do you know if the Pepe that is available in the US is only available in the US, or can it be procured in Europe under a different designation?

 

[Todd Abrams]

No, not aware that the production for Italy was different. Is it an absolute separation for export to US and local sale? Does any of the older vine stuff get sold in Italy at all?

My issue with price is actually in regard to the supply chain that I have to deal with, not US vs. Italy prices in general.

 

[Levi Dalton]

Just so I can perhaps answer a few questions that I anticipate coming up all at once, instead of one by one:

-there are several different vineyards for Trebbiano that they farm, and they aren't necessarily adjacent. Some are some distance away from the others. There are different exposures, different elevations, and different proximities to the sea involved.

-it isn't all Trebbiano, there is one row of Malvasia vines

-they ferment in cement tanks of various size and age, and those lots are never assembled (only the Cerasuolo is assembled)

-the grapes from the different vineyard parcels always go into the same designated tanks, more or less

-they bottle straight from tank, the wines never see wood

-the young vine wine is sold in Italy, the old vine wine is aged longer and sold in the United States and I have been told by consumers (not by the winery) also that the old vine wine is sold in some other European markets, like the UK (I have not confirmed this with the winery)

-the bottles are numbered in the order that they are bottled. A higher number implies, somewhat, an older vine bottling.

-what is sold in the US is basically a Riserva, but it is not labelled any differently; they have some thought to change this in the future

-the Riserva Trebbiano is not decanted before release, like the Riserva red is

-with the Italian release and the US release of the Trebbiano, there is a difference in the approach to malo. For the Italian they do malo in tank. For the US release, the Riserva, they want the wine to go through malo in bottle. This is why when you open a bottle it sometimes has trapped CO2 gas in it. If you encounter that I would recommend decanting the bottle.

-the Trebbiano and the Montepulciano intended for the US are aged longer in the cellar before release.

-there is a little green flag insignia on the back of the Italian bottles. That is how you can tell the difference, basically.

-if you buy this wine gray market, you are probably buying a different wine. If you buy this wine in Italy, you are definitely buying a different wine.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Levi Dalton]

originally posted by Todd Abrams:
No, not aware that the production for Italy was different. Is it an absolute separation for export to US and local sale? Does any of the older vine stuff get sold in Italy at all?

No, the old vine wine is not sold in Italy.

 

[Bill Lundstrom]

levi, is it essentially the same deal with the pecorino bianco? i drank a couple bottles in rome last month and was floored at how good it was for th price.
is this wine in the states different than what is offered in italy?

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by Todd Abrams:
...but I needed the money to support our gelato habit.

I understand this completely. When we were in Rome and Florence, I brought a prescription from my doctor for daily gelato. (At least, that is what I told my partner.)

 

[Levi Dalton]

originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
levi, is it essentially the same deal with the pecorino bianco? i drank a couple bottles in rome last month and was floored at how good it was for th price.
is this wine in the states different than what is offered in italy?

Bill,

Good question. It is the same wine in both countries. They only have one Pecorino vineyard at the moment, and only one Pecorino wine. It is a new thing for them, as you may well already know.

 

[Levi Dalton]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by Todd Abrams:
...but I needed the money to support our gelato habit.

I understand this completely. When we were in Rome and Florence, I brought a prescription from my doctor for daily gelato. (At least, that is what I told my partner.)

It's not the same in the States.

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by Todd Abrams:
...but I needed the money to support our gelato habit.

I understand this completely. When we were in Rome and Florence, I brought a prescription from my doctor for daily gelato. (At least, that is what I told my partner.)

Thankfully Italians (and Europeans in general) have sensible portions for gelato. You can spend 1-2euros and get one scoop of something very high quality and perfectly sensible as an afternoon snack. Of course you can always buy more if you need too.

But in the US, the 'small' sizes are often $5-7 and enough ice cream and calories for an entire meal.

 

[Todd Abrams]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by Todd Abrams:
...but I needed the money to support our gelato habit.

I understand this completely. When we were in Rome and Florence, I brought a prescription from my doctor for daily gelato. (At least, that is what I told my partner.)

My daughter made it a mission to discover the best gelato pairing. I think it was the first night at Gelateria Bananas in Tavernelle Val Di Pesa, chocolate and orange cream. Although the basil and lemon in Corniglia was damn good, too.

Sigh.