Collection: Abruzzo

Abruzzo lies in eastern Central Italy, where the landscape is shaped by two opposites: the Apennines to the west and the Adriatic Sea to the east. The mountain range dominates the region with Gran Sasso d'Italia in the northwest, where Corno Grande rises towards 3,000 metres. From the mountains to the coast is only about 160 kilometres, and along the Adriatic the coastline stretches over a comparable distance. It is a region of short physical distances but great contrasts.

Most of the vineyards lie in the valleys of the rivers that run from west to east, from the Apennines down towards the sea. That orientation gives the vines sun all day. When the weather comes in from the west over the mountains, the climate is relatively dry, while storms from the east can trap moisture over the region and occasionally produce weaker vintages. To the north, along the border with Marche where the mountains come closest to the sea, the altitudes, soils and microclimate resemble the conditions in Marche, Umbria and Toscana. Around Teramo you find iron-rich clay and limestone in a leaner mix, while southern Abruzzo south of Chieti is warmer, more fertile and more humid, and holds the largest single vineyard area.

In terms of production, Abruzzo is Italy's fifth-largest wine region and makes almost twice as much wine a year as Toscana, even with a smaller total vineyard area. Large cooperative wineries account for around 80 percent of commercial production. The region's hallmark is Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, and two thirds of that wine originate in the province of Chieti in the south.

At Copenhagen Wine we carry wine from here as part of our Italian selection. It is a region that rewards curiosity: honest wine with roots in a dramatic landscape between mountain and sea.