I had promised that I would write about all the wines from Abruzzo that I tasted at Vinitaly as a way to honor the victims of the earthquake on April 6 and to support the region and its inhabitants. I got distracted by some other wines I have tasted in between but I have not forgotten my promise, nor some of the interesting wines I tried.

One winery which I found thanks to my friend Paolo Vino from the Associazione Italiana Sommeliers (AIS) group, is Agriverde, a winery in Ortona, in the province of Chieti in Abruzzo.

The winery was founded in 1830 and is located between the Adriatic coast and Mount Majella. The winery uses organic techniques to grow and harvest the crops. In fact the entire company pays careful attention to environmental issues, not only in its farming but also in building construction. Both the wellness center and the agriturismo were built following specific enviornmental guidelines.

The winery is currently offering enticing weeks at the spa for vinoterapia. Sounds very appealing and I admit to being quite tempted.

Agriverde has numerous wines made from Montepulciano d’Abruzo. Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Chardonnay, a couple of rose’s and a pecorino. My favorite Montepulciano d’Abruzzo was the Piane di Maggio. The wine ferments and ages in steel. It doesn’t see any wood at all. I like this clean, fresh style for Montepulciano although I have had some aged ones which knocked my socks off. This wine was imminently enjoyable and was a good find. Grazie PV.