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The great success of the wines of Abruzzo is clearly shown by the growing acclaim they have received from the critics and the market, as well as the prestigious awards they have won in national and international competitions.
This success is due to the richness of the territory and the quality of its most important vines, together with the work of a new generation of oenologists, wine experts and entrepreneurs.

Montepulciano has been considered one of the great red grape vines for many years now.
It has been grown in Abruzzo since the middle of the eighteenth century and today accounts for more than half of the ampelographic base of the region as well as being the reference vine for doc Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, which also includes Cerasuolo in its range.
The white grape Trebbiano d’Abruzzo vine, on the other hand, is used to produce the doc wine of the same name, another protagonist in the history of wine making in the region.

Carta dei Territori a Denominazione d’Origine - Montepulciano e Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC - Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC "Terre dei Vestini" - Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC "Casauria o Terre di Casauria" - Controguerra - Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC "CColline Teramane" DOCG Indicazione Geografica Tipica Alto Tirino Valle Peligna Colline Teatine Terre di Chieti Colline Frentane Colli del Sangro Del Vastese o Histonium Colli Aprutini Colline Pescaresi

The geographical nature of the Abruzzo territory is perfect for grape growing, situated as it is, between the Adriatic Sea and the Gran Sasso and Maiella mountains, in an area which boasts three national parks and more than ten national and regional nature reserves.

Abruzzo can be divided into two areas: mountains which cover 65% of the territory and extensive hilly areas along the coast.
The climate is mild on the Apennine mountains facing the sea and more continental in internal areas.
It has the advantages of generous rainfall, plenty of sunshine and a generally mild climate.

The considerable temperature differences between night and day, produced by the high mountains of the Abruzzo and Maiella ranges, together with the favourable windy nature of the territory ensure a perfect microclimate for the growing of grapes of an extraordinary quality.
Although grapes have been grown in the Peligna valley in the province of L’Aquila for centuries, vine growing in Abruzzo has really only evolved in the last 40 or 50 years.

For this reason it is a young, specialised and highly rational industry, which has gradually abandoned the more difficult areas for those along the coast which are more conducive to grape growing.

Grape growing and wine producing are the most important agricultural activi-ties in the region. There are 36 thousand hectares of vineyards with an annual production of 3.8 million hectolitres.
The production of denomination of origin wine has reached a million hectolitres, of which more than 800 thousand is Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, 192 thousand is Trebbiano d’Abruzzo and 4 thousand each is doc Controguerra and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo “Colline Teramane” which since the 2003 harvest has been acknowledged as Docg.

Most of the vineyards are concentrated in hilly areas: 75% of them are in the province of Chieti, followed by Pescara and Teramo with about 10% each and L’Aquila with 4%.
In 80% of the vineyards the Abruzzo pergola method is used while in new planting and replanting the row method is preferred (spur training etc. ).

The most common vine is Montepulciano, which is grown on about 17 thousand hectares.
This vine has been used in more than 70% of the new planting in the last two or three years.
Other vines are Trebbiano, grown on about 14 thousand hectares and a series of local, national and international vines such as Passerina, Pecorino, Coccilina, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Three quarters of the overall wine production in Abruzzo come from 40 co-operative wineries (40 of which are in the province of Chieti), which together with the private companies, form a thriving industry of 160 companies, 120 of which bottle wine with their own label.

In 2004 production exceeded 100 million bottles.
As well as the national market, the main markets for the wines of the region are Germany (23%), the United States (20%), and Canada (10%). Interest in the region’s wines is growing strongly in England and northern European countries like Sweden, Denmark and Norway as a consequence of the excellent quality/price relationship of the products.