Grape Spotlight: Masciarelli Trebbiano d'Abruzzo

Abruzzo is a naturalist's dream "as half of the region's territory is protected through national parks and nature reserves, more than any administrative region on the continent, leading it to be dubbed 'the greenest region in Europe'".  That could be why it has been occupied since the "Neolithic era, with the earliest artifacts dating to beyond 6,500 BC. In the 6th century BC, the Etruscans introduced viticulture into the area which continued with the Romans -- who contributed to much of Abruzzo’s recognizable history.  Even after the fall of Rome, the Lombards, Byzantines, Magyars, and Normans successively imparted some type of influence in Abruzzo.   Throughout these periods, viticulture has been a constant with multi-generation small plots, sometimes less than a few hectares, being passed down through successive generations. 

Abruzzo is located directly east of Rome and bordered by the Molise wine region to the south, the Marche to the north, the Lazio to the west, and the Adriatic to its east.  It is further divided into several sub-regions: Chieti, Pescara, Controguerra, Teramo, and L’Aquila (L’Aquilano) -- with Chieti being the prime winemaking region (75% of vineyards).  Most of Abruzzo is rugged with  65% mountainous with this landscape assisting grape growing by blocking most storms from the west. And to the east, the Adriatic Sea provides a moderating Mediterranean climate for these vineyards; vines that are predominately planted in calcareous clay soils.

The most popular grape varieties in all sub-regions are Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo.  Last week we focused on Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and now Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, both through the wines of Masciarelli. Trebbiano is grown throughout Italy, but in Abruzzo, Trebbiano Abruzzese is a different clone, an ancient version indigenous to the region.  The wines are generally "golden in color, typically dry but fruit-forward, with a delicate bouquet and refreshing, crisp acidity".  -- wine-searcher.com

The only Abruzzo producer with vineyards in all four provinces (Chieti, Pescara, Teramo, l’Aquila), Masciarelli wines demonstrate the diversity of Abruzzo terroir.  The winery was founded in the early 1980s by Gianna Masciarelli when produced the first vintage of wine from 2.5 hectares of vines he had planted in land owned by his grandfather near the family home in the province of Chieti. Over the next couple decades production increased as more estates were planted and Gianna introduced several innovations to the region. He was the first to introduce the Guyot training system in Abruzzo and use French oak barrels to age Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  Tragically Gianna died suddenly in 2008 but his wifie of almost 20 years, Marina Cvetić, seamlessly continued the progress towards higher quality and expansion. Today, their eldest daughter Miriam Lee manages the winery with Marina and they focus on keeping all wines estate grown while expanding plantings, transitioning to organic viticulture, and dialing back the use of oak.

The Masciarelli Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC 2022 ($16) is a friendly wine with a floral aroma, flavors of stone peaches and creamy lemons and a refreshingly acidic finish. It is fermented and aged in stainless steel and like the Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC, the grapes are sourced from several of the estate vineyards in Chieti, Pescara, & Teramo. 

Academy du Rhône Wine - Washington D.C. Edition

"Vinsobres or sober wine, drink it soberly".. Monseigneur Joseph Marie de Suarès (Bishop of Vaison-La-Romaine) in1633

The Rhône Valley is a diverse and complex wine region that I've been slowly trying to comprehend. In 2023 I started with a Côtes du Rhône Online Wine Academy course in April and attended the Academy du Rhône Wine this month in Washington D.C. The Academy was hosted by Master Sommelier David Keck and showcased 18 wines from various appellations within the Rhône Valley all the while discussing the grapes and terrior within each region. The Rhône Valley is located in southeast France between Lyon and Marseille and is sub-divided into Northern and Southern regions. Southern Rhône is sandwiched between Provence to the east and Languedoc-Roussillon to the west and is known for its Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre (GSM) blends. On the other hand, Syrah is the champion of the Northern Rhône with  Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier its white counterparts. Overall, the Rhône Valley accounts for 9% of all French vineyards and ranks 2nd by volume for all French AOC wine regions.

The Rhône Valley's wine history is quite fascinating and starts three hundred million years ago as the Massif Central clashed with the Alps creating the valley and then flooding from the Mediterranean populated the valley’s soils with four different types of rock: granite, sandy silica, limestone and clay. This created conditions for the Greeks & Romans to apply viticulture which continued through the Avignon Popes up to the 1930's when Baron Le Roy championed the creation of the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée system. The Rhône Valley was granted AOC status in 1933. Read more of the Rhône Valley's entire history at the Vins Rhône website. 

In brief, there are 34 different grape varieties planted in the Rhône Valley and red wines account for 76% of production, rosé 13%, and whites 11%. The diverse landscape consists of five major soil types: clay, stony, limestone, granitic, and sandy soils. Again see Vins Rhône for a more detailed presentation. There are 31 appellations grouped within two major areas: Côtes du Rhône AOCs and Rhône Valley AOCs. The Côtes du Rhône AOC accounts for 75% of the overall production in the Rhône Valley and itself consists of a hierarchy starting with the  Côtes du Rhône Crus,  Côtes du Rhône Villages with a geographic name,  Côtes du Rhône Villages, and  Côtes du Rhône. Red wine accounts for 86% of overall Côtes du Rhône production,  rosé 8%, and whites 6%. The Rhône Valley AOCs are more prevalent in the Southern Rhône and are distributed in a wider area from the Rhone River. 

Whereas most of the 18 wines we sampled were from the Côtes du Rhône there were a handful from Rhône Valley AOCs with one I especially enjoyed, the M. Chapoutier La Ciboise Luberon 2022. This wine is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Ugni Blanc and Vermentino from the Luberon AOC. The vineyards for this appellation and high in elevation and surround the Luberon Natural Regional Park, part of UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Luberon is dominated by small farmers and cooperatives and this region is one of France's sunniest with 320 sunny days each year. It also straddles Provence so the wines closely resemble that style in the sense of easy-drinking and value. This La Ciboise is a fresh and lively wine, yet creamy and structured, with noticeable citrus and stone fruit. 

Turning to the Côtes du Rhône, I want to focus on two wines from the tasting starting with the Southern Rhône Chateau de Rouanne 2020 AOC Vinsobres. The Vinsobres Crus commune has a long history of viticulture and the name is derived from "Vinzobrio, the oldest recorded version of the village name, dating back to 1137; this in turn is thought to derive from the pre-Celtic Vintio, meaning height, and the Celtic suffix briga (mountain)". It is one of the most northernly southern communes and thus shares many notable northern characteristics such as exposure to the mistral winds and a stronger reliance on Syrah. The vineyards are at high elevations and the vines are planted in very stony, red to brown soils where their warmth allows the vines to ripen early. This wine is a GSM blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre  where whole clusters were vinified and aged in concrete vats using native yeasts. This is an elegant and complex wine, with juicy dark fruit, black pepper and earth, and silky tannins.  As the quote relates above, this is a sober (and serious) wine. 

Returning to the beginning of the session, the first flight featured wines from the AOC Côtes du Rhône. The entire appellation stretches from Vienne to Avignon and includes 171 communes across six departments: Ardèche, Drôme, Gard, Loire, Rhône and Vaucluse), covering an area of around 30,000 hectares. The climate is Mediterranean, refreshed by the cleansing and cooling Mistral wind. Summers are hot and dry, with occasional violent storms. Rainfall is low, and snow is rare.  One of my favorites of the initial flight was the Domaine de l'Odylée. La Talentuese 2020 -- a certified organic blend of Grenache and Syrah.  The wine ages 14 months in oak barrels and demi-muids which contributes to a it's depth and complexity. There's a slight earthiness and  herbaciousness on the nose followed by plums and raspberries and a spicy and firm finish. 

Hopefully I will have more content to post n this tasting and further exploration of the Rhône Valley.

Grape Spotlight: Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Abruzzo is a naturalist's dream "as half of the region's territory is protected through national parks and nature reserves, more than any administrative region on the continent, leading it to be dubbed 'the greenest region in Europe'".  That could be why it has been occupied since the "Neolithic era, with the earliest artifacts dating to beyond 6,500 BC. In the 6th century BC, the Etruscans introduced viticulture into the area which continued with the Romans -- who contributed to much of Abruzzo’s recognizable history.  Even after the fall of Rome, the Lombards, Byzantines, Magyars, and Normans successively imparted some type of influence in Abruzzo.  Throughout these periods, viticulture has been a constant with multi-generation small plots, sometimes less than a few hectares, being passed down through successive generations. 

Abruzzo is located directly east of Rome and bordered by the Molise wine region to the south, the Marche to the north, the Lazio to the west, and the Adriatic to its east.  It is further divided into several sub-regions: Chieti, Pescara, Teramo, and L’Aquila (L’Aquilano) -- with Chieti being the prime winemaking region (75% of vineyards).  Most of Abruzzo is rugged with  65% mountainous with this landscape assisting grape growing by blocking most storms from the west. And to the east, the Adriatic Sea provides a moderating Mediterranean climate for these vineyards; vines that are predominately planted in calcareous clay soils.

The most popular grape varieties in all sub-regions are Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo.  This week we will focus on Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and next week Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, both through the wines of Masciarelli.

Montepulciano  is a late-ripening, thick-skinned, deep-colored grape indigenous to Abruzzo. It provides a robustness that is balanced by considerable acidity and noticeable tannins. That profile means wines ranging from firmly structured and willing to age to lighter styles, including rosés with some heft, depending on decisions made in the vineyard and winery. The wines are known for their fruit and spice characters.

The only Abruzzo producer with vineyards in all four provinces (Chieti, Pescara, Teramo, l’Aquila), Masciarelli wines demonstrate the diversity of Abruzzo terroir.  The winery was founded in the early 1980s by Gianna Masciarelli when produced the first vintage of wine from 2.5 hectares of vines he had planted in land owned by his grandfather near the family home in the province of Chieti. Over the next couple decades production increased as more estates were planted and Gianna introduced several innovations to the region. He was the first to introduce the Guyot training system in Abruzzo and use French oak barrels to age Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  Tragically Gianna died suddenly in 2008 but his wifie of almost 20 years, Marina Cvetić, seamlessly continued the progress towards higher quality and expansion. Today, their eldest daughter Miriam Lee manages the winery with Marina and they focus on keeping all wines estate grown while expanding plantings, transitioning to organic viticulture, and dialing back the use of oak.

The Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC 2020 ($16) is an example of the latter approach. This was the original wine that Gianna Masciarelli first produced back in 1981 and today is the company's best-selling product and the flagship of the Classic Line. The grapes are sourced from several of the estate vineyards in Chieti, Pescara, & Teramo and are fermented and aged in stainless steel. It is a juicy wine, showing dark berries and earthiness and lifted by sufficient acidity and approachable tannins. And appealing everyday wine. 

Herbal Liqueurs: Amaro y Arroyo

Continuing our discovery of Amaro herbal liqueurs, we recently purchased the Amaro y Arroyo from Copper Fox Distillery.  This is one of Virginia's oldest distilleries with locations in two important regions in the Commonwealth. Their original Sperryville home is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains just below the Panorama entrance to Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park. Their newer second home is located minutes from Colonial Williamsburg. 

The herbal liqueur is bittersweet and crafted using 25 different botanicals that are macerated in a bourbon mash spirit (produced with 100% Virginia grain), and aged in used Virginia bourbon barrels for a few months. The Amaro is then finished in used Virginia wine barrels infused with chestnut wood, local honey, agave, and cane sugar.

The cherry color masks a plethora of flavors: orange, honey, cinnamon, herbs. The finish is pleasantly lasting with a complex and bittersweet backbone.

From District Made to the Amalfi Coast in D.C.'s Ivy City

After a visit to the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America we decided to visit a couple of distilleries in nearby Ivy City starting with District Made Spirits. For those familiar with the D.C. spirits scene, two weeks ago this distillery was known as One Eight Distilling. But owners, Andy Wood and Alex Lauffer, now want to emphasize, not only their location in Washington D.C., but also their use of regional grains grown in Maryland and Virginia.  I chose a flight of their Core Spirits featuring their Ivy City Gin, Straight Rye Whiskey, and Straight Bourbon Whiskey. 

The Gin uses the District Made Vodka ($30) mash bill of 66% Abruzzi Rye,  28% Corn, and 6% Malted Rye which is then steeped with ten botanicals. These include Appalachian Allspice and Grains of Paradise for aromatics and a lower juniper profile. And from what I can glean, Abruzzi Rye is a cultivar that has higher yields than other rye varieties.  The District Made Ivy City Gin ($35) immediately brought thoughts of Negronis. Interestingly, we decided on purchasing a bottle of the vodka after a sample (1) because we didn't have any at home and (2) it contains noticeable creamy flavor.

The two whiskeys were also quite solid with the District Made Straight Rye Whiskey ($50) containing a little more malted rye than the gin and vodka with a mash bill of 57% Abruzzi Rye, 14% Corn, and 29% Malted Rye. This reminded me of Pennsylvania ryes, not a spice bomb, but reasonable levels of honeyed cinnamon and spice. I slightly preferred this over the District Made Straight Bourbon Whiskey ($50) which has a very unique recipe of 58% Corn, 16% Abruzzi Rye, 12% Malted Rye, 8% Hard Red Winter Wheat,  and 6% Malted Barley. Interestingly, the grains are distilled and aged in two batches, one with higher percentages of winter wheat and the other a higher percentage of rye. The final bottling uses a mixture of the different barrels. 

Our original destination for the day, Don Ciccio & Figli, is located directly across the street from District Made. This distillery has been operating in the District for over ten years, starting in 2012 and moving to the larger location in Ivy City in 2019. Providentially, owner Francesco Amodeo was manning the Bar Sirenis on our arrival and walked us through their history and a 17 Italian Herbal Liqueur and Cordial tasting kit. 

Amodeo was inspired to open the distillery based on a family heritage of distilling liqueurs on the Amalfi Coast. This tradition began in 1883 when Vincenzo Amodeo started creating liqueurs and devising a large collection of recipes.  The Amodeo family crafted these liqueurs up onto World War II when the stills were closed and the recipes locked away in order to rebuild the country. In 1951, Francesco Amodeo's grandfather Francesco, or Don Ciccio, resurrected the family tradition by building a distillery in the hills of Furore, near Positano and Capri. "The liqueurs are reborn, crafted exactly as they had been until 1931". Sadly, in 1980 an earthquake completely destroyed the distillery to rubble and it wasn't until 2012, in America, that the Amodeo family liqueurs were resurrected a second time. 

Today the distillery offers a plethora of herbal liqueurs, cordials, vermouths, spirits, and bottled cocktails. When you visit here some words of advice. (1) Do not order an Aperol Spritz. You will have your hand slapped. Bar Sirenis only serves cocktails using ingredients produced at the distillery. Instead, order an Ambrosia Spritz made using the Ambrosia Aperitivo -- a bittersweet Italian herbal liqueur made with turmeric, blood orange, cantaloupe, carrots and 9 botanicals. (2) Order the tasting tray. This provides a complete overview of their herbal liqueurs and cordials. 

Three of my favorite herbal liqueurs were the Amaro Delle Sirene (1931 recipe), Amaro Don Fernet (1915 recipe), and Cerasum Aperitivo (1906 recipe). They are all dispersed along the bitterness barometer and like all the products they start with 190 proof neutral grain spirits that is then macerated at room temperature with the respective recipe and then proofed down using purified water . The Fernet is made using 25 roots and herb focusing on mint, dark chocolate, ginger and saffron. The amaro then rests for 12 months in 250-liter French oak barrels provided by the Marisa Cuomo Winery on the Amalfi Coast. The Delle Sirene is made using 30 roots and herbs highlighting eucalyptus, ripe fruit and licorice. The amaro is also aged for one year using the same barrels. Finally the Cerasum is based on an infusion of 3 different kinds of cherries, sakura blossoms and 10 selected roots and herbs. We've already used this in a spritz and will be using in a Negroni at a later date - and its also excellent on its own. Saluti.