Italian Wine Club September 2024: Abruzzo

Abruzzo may be only a few hours east of Rome in central Italy, but it’s a whole ‘nother green world. The region arranges three national parks, 38 nature reserves, and an amazing 75% of the flora and fauna on the continent into the space between the Apennine Mountains to the west and a long Adriatic coastline to the east. A third of its 4,900 square miles consists of officially protected land, and two thirds are covered by rugged peaks, which provide great (if labor intensive) conditions for viticulture: thin soils, big diurnal temperature shifts, and cool mountain air currents, moderate the temperatures in the vineyards on the slopes, providing a perfect microclimate for the vines. Closer to the coast, the climate becomes wetter and more temperate, receiving a decent amount of annual rainfall. 

So it’s no surprise that Abruzzo goes way back with wine. Officially, the local tradition starts with the Etruscans in the 6th century B.C.E., but there is evidence that vine growing began in the 4th century B.C.E., when a sweet, Moscato-style grape called Apianae was grown. It is also believed that when Hannibal made his epic journey over the Alps, his soldiers were given Abruzzo wine from Teramo (historically known as Pretuzi). Whatever the case, today Abruzzo ranks fifth amongst Italy’s 20 regions in terms of wine production per annum - which is remarkable given its relative size: Tuscany has twice as much land under vine and makes far less. This is due in part to the high permitted yields of Abruzzo's main DOC region (as much as 100 hectoliters) as well as the government mandated use of high-producing tendon vine-training systems installed in the 1970s. This fecundity arguably comes at the expense of diversity though: more than ⅔ of Abruzzo’s juice is made by co-ops and/or sold in bulk to negociants for blending elsewhere - in Tuscany, Piedmont or Veneto. Abruzzo’s two most famous red and white varietals: Montelpuciano D’Abruzzo* and Trebbiano D’Abruzzo, respectively, account for a combined 86% of all plantings. 

Small wonder our two wines this month are made from them. Both are still outliers however, as they come from small grower/producers organically farming their own vineyards who are unquestionably among the finest the region has to offer. In fact, some of you may remember the Inalto winery from our last visit to Abruzzo, in April 2023, when we featured their Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. For September, we have In Alto’s equally great Trebbiano, which completely transcends that varietal’s sometimes tepid reputation, with body, freshness and poise. 

The red selection is something a little different. Made from the aforementioned Montepulciano grape it is in fact a Cerasuolo D’Abruzzo, the region’s newest DOC (as of 2010), though it represents a very old style of winemaking. You may recognize the appellation Cerasuolo, which means “cherry red” in Italian, from another DOC in another region: Cerasuolo di Vittoria, which is Sicily’s only DOCG status bottling, a red wine made from the local grapes Nero D’Avola and Frappato. In Abruzzo, Cerasuolo must be at least 85% Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, grown in the same area below 500 meters of elevation, or 600 meters for a south-facing slope (same as its red sibling), it has to have at least 12% alcohol, and can’t be sold until the first of January following harvest. But I’ve intentionally buried the lede here: technically Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is a rose, though the finest examples - and Praesidium makes maybe the best I’ve ever had - exist in a liminal space between rose and red wine. Without the small “rose wine” clarification on the back of this bottle, you’d be hard pressed to confidently classify it via the usual indices of color, texture and flavor. Indeed, there are many who insist that Cerasuolo is Montepulciano’s quintessential expression. So ignore the fine print and treat this bottle like a serious lighter red. You can serve it slightly chilled or not (it shouldn’t be ice cold), pair it with a variety of dishes, enjoy on one of the warm days we’ve got coming up or even age it a few years if you’d like. No wrong answers with juice this good. 

*(Forever fated to be confused with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a famous wine from the Tuscan medieval town Montepulciano that is mainly produced with a local Sangiovese clone known as Prugnolo Gentile. In fact, the grape Montepulciano is not grown in the town of Montepulciano at all, despite being widely planted all over Central Italy – in Marche and Emilia Romagna, for instance - and having more than 50 DOCs dedicated to it.) 

Frittata di Alici – Anchovy Frittata

This humble frittata is originally from Vasto, on the southern coast of Abruzzo, where anchovies – the key ingredient – abound.

Eggs and anchovies might seem like an odd combination, but they work surprisingly well together, especially when freshened up by a good dose of parsley and spiced up by chili.

If you can’t source fresh anchovies, you can replace them with their marinated counterpart. Just know that the result will be bolder in flavor, and less meaty.

This frittata is particularly good when eaten in a sandwich. It also makes a good appetizer, and is a great addition to any picnic basket.

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 3 oz of Pecorino Romano, grated
• 2 tbsp of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
• fine sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/8 lb of fresh anchovies, cleaned, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Instructions 

1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the grated pecorino, parsley, chili, salt and pepper. Add the anchovies and stir to incorporate
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over a medium-low flame. Once hot, add the egg mixture. Cook the frittata for 5 minutes, or until set enough to be able to flip it (I use a plate or a large lid to do so). Then, cook it for 5 more minutes on the other side.
3. Once done, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a plate