The Zaccagnini are a very modest family who started with only few and small pieces of land in Abruzzo (east central Italy) and now own 300 hectares. They started in the 1960’s to sell their grapes and were known as the family that owned the most long lasting quality grapes due to their location in Abruzzo. When customers had troubles paying their bills Ciccio and Marcello decided in 1978 to start their own winery; Cantina Zaccagnini Winery, which is now the flagship of Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. At the beginning Zaccagnini was producing 1000 bottles. Today the yearly production has reached 3,000,000 bottles, covering all the globe, from Iceland to Japan. They use natural methods to fertilize the soil and they harvest their grapes by hand.
They produce wines from many different indigenous grapes such as:
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Zaccagnini San Clemente Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC Terre di Casauria Riserva 2011 Montepulciano D’Abruzzo – a red grape grown mainly in hilly areas of the DOC appellation. The grape can produce a wine that is highly aromatic with earthy notes and black berry aromas, and have an inky-purple colour.
- Trebbiano D’Abruzzo – is a high yielding white grape in Italy. The wine typically has a pale yellow straw color, a soft floral and fruit bouquet, with pears in particular. It is dry, high acid with a subtle almond finish. A typical flavour on the palate is the salinity that comes from our coast.
- Pecorino – is a low production white grape grown in the hilly areas of the DOC. According to Wikipedia, “Ampelographers believe that the grape’s name stems from the Italian word pecora, meaning sheep.” The grapes are naturally high in sugar and acidity, so you get a balance between the two in the wine. The grape shows minerality and has a herbal tone.
Zaccagnini will be pouring their San Clemente Montepulciano D’Abruzzo Riserva 2011 that won Tre Bicchieri from Gambero Rosso, a very prestigious judgement of Italian wines. Selected Montepulciano d’Abruzzo grapes are fermented in oak casks and aged for 18 months in new barriques, followed by a further 6 months refining in bottles before being released. Come visit the winery at the Festival tasting room and enjoy our wines.
