Between sea and mountains, Abruzzo is the “Wine Enthusiast’s Region of the Year” 2022

Uncontaminated villages, breathtaking natural landscapes, waterfalls, rivers, and historic castles make Abruzzo, divided between the Adriatic Sea and the Gran Sasso, the ideal destination for slow travel, where the sustainable link with culture, people, gastronomy, and music is still very strong, a destination increasingly sought after by wine lovers from around the world, who discover here some true enological gems, hidden in the 36,000 hectares of vineyards that grow between the mountains and the sea. This is why it was chosen as the “Wine Enthusiast’s Region of the Year” 2022, outperforming the competition from Marlborough (New Zealand), Southern Oregon / Rogue Valley (Oregon), Uco Valley (Argentina), and SLO Coast (California). It went less well, however, for the Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine e Vigneti Massa, both competing in the exclusive category “European Winery of the Year”, where the historic rosé producer of Provence Domaines Ott won.
As recalled by “Wine Enthusiast”, Abruzzo wines tell their own story through the local grapes that express their characteristics and the sense of the place: the famous and powerful red wines of Montepulciano; the great white wines of Trebbiano Abruzzese; and, of course, the Montepulciano rosé, or Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, without forgetting the sparkling wines of Cococciola, Passerina and Montonico Bianco. But the Region, as recalled by Davide Acerra, marketing director of the Vini d’Abruzzo Consortium, is also something else. “Many new wineries have been born, often started by young people who invested in the land or inherited the family business. They have a more open mind, a different vision than their parents, and certainly more sustainable, greener, and much more dynamic entrepreneurial ability. In the historic cellars, a new generation has also emerged, changing the style and philosophy”.