Vinistory Français

Italy

Abruzzo

33 000 ha under vine

Soils
Calcareous clays rolling from the Apennine massifs to the Adriatic
Climate
Mountain and sea thirty kilometres apart — sunny slopes ventilated by both

On the map

Abruzzo — 33 000 haLanguedoc — 220 000 haBordeaux — 110 000 haSicily — 98 000 haVeneto — 96 000 haPuglia — 87 000 haSouthern Rhône — 66 000 haRioja — 66 000 haTuscany — 60 000 haLoire Valley — 57 000 haEmilia-Romagna — 50 000 haKakheti — 48 000 haSouth-West France — 45 000 haPiedmont — 43 000 haDouro — 43 000 haChampagne — 34 000 haUtiel-Requena — 32 000 haBurgundy — 29 500 haRheinhessen — 27 000 haProvence — 27 000 haSardinia — 27 000 haFriuli — 25 000 haRibera del Duero — 25 000 haPenedès — 25 000 haPfalz — 23 000 haCampania — 23 000 haLombardy — 22 000 haAlentejo — 22 000 haJumilla — 22 000 haMinho — 21 000 haRoussillon — 20 000 haRueda — 20 000 haDão — 20 000 haMarche — 16 000 haBaden — 15 800 haAlsace — 15 600 haBeaujolais — 13 500 haBurgenland — 13 000 haUmbria — 12 000 haBairrada — 12 000 haNavarra — 11 000 haTrentino — 10 000 haŠtajerska — 9 000 haCalabria — 9 000 haMosel — 8 800 haDalmatia — 8 000 haJerez — 7 000 haCyprus — 7 000 haAttica — 6 500 haFranken — 6 100 haCorsica — 6 000 haTokaj — 5 800 haAlto Adige — 5 600 haToro — 5 600 haEger — 5 000 haImereti — 5 000 haBasilicata — 5 000 haValais — 4 800 haNorthern Rhône — 4 400 haRías Baixas — 4 300 haNahe — 4 200 haSussex & Kent — 4 000 haRheingau — 3 200 haBierzo — 3 000 haNemea — 3 000 haMantinia — 2 400 haSavoie — 2 200 haJura — 2 000 haPriorat — 2 000 haBekaa Valley — 2 000 haWachau — 1 350 haValdeorras — 1 300 haVayots Dzor — 1 300 haSantorini — 1 100 haRacha-Lechkhumi — 700 haNaoussa — 700 haMadeira — 450 haRapsani — 400 haColares — 20 haAbruzzoLanguedocBordeauxSicilyVenetoPugliaSouthern RhôneRiojaTuscanyLoire ValleyEmilia-RomagnaKakhetiSouth-West FrancePiedmontDouroChampagneUtiel-RequenaBurgundyRheinhessenProvenceSardiniaFriuliRibera del DueroPenedèsPfalzCampaniaLombardyAlentejoJumillaMinhoRoussillonRuedaDãoMarcheBadenAlsaceBeaujolaisBurgenlandUmbriaBairradaNavarraTrentinoŠtajerskaCalabriaMoselDalmatiaJerezCyprusAtticaFrankenCorsicaTokajAlto AdigeToroEgerImeretiBasilicataValaisNorthern RhôneRías BaixasNaheSussex & KentRheingauBierzoNemeaMantiniaSavoieJuraPrioratBekaa ValleyWachauValdeorrasVayots DzorSantoriniRacha-LechkhumiNaoussaMadeiraRapsaniColares
Blob size ≈ vineyard area · approximate locations · coastlines from Natural Earth

Europe's highest mountains south of the Alps stand thirty kilometres from the sea: the snows of the Gran Sasso cool vineyards that face the Adriatic sun, a compression of climates few regions can match. The land has made wine since antiquity — Ovid, born at Sulmona in the Abruzzo interior, praised the wine of his homeland.

History here belonged to tenant farmers, and after them to the cooperatives that still handle most of the harvest — a region of honest volume, its Montepulciano ripe, dark and inexpensive. Its peaks proved the land's real worth: the secretive Valentini estate turned Trebbiano d'Abruzzo into one of Italy's great whites, and the hills of Teramo won Montepulciano its own DOCG.

The vineyard

Indicative share of plantings

The wines

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Red wine

Through time

Indicative presence index, 0–100Origins & Antiquity — 10The Monastic Middle Ages — 15Exploration & the Fortified Age — 15Classifications & the Golden Age — 20Phylloxera & the World Crises — 25The Modern & New World Era — 50Antiquity10500150017001875195050
Origins & Antiquity Antiquity The Monastic Middle Ages 500 Exploration & the Fortified Age 1500 Classifications & the Golden Age 1700 Phylloxera & the World Crises 1875 The Modern & New World Era 1950