I made some great wine discoveries from Greece and Italy at the DC Fancy Food Show. The first Italian discovery was Tenuta i Fauri from the Abruzzo region.

This winery is in the Chieti province in Abruzzo’s center. Their thirty-five hectares of vineyards sit among hills that drop to the sea. Photos on their site are gorgeous and their wines were very tasty!

Valentina Di Camillo, her family’s winery started by her father Domenico Di Camillo, was tasting in the Italia section of the show. They have 12 wines in their portfolio, available in Europe and in the U.S. (CA, MA and new to NY).

Our tasting included the following 4 wines, all made with the region’s signature grape…

  • Alba Rosa, Rosato IGT Colline Teatine: This rosé is a blend of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes creating a lovely wine with black currant and strawberry.
  • Ottobre Rosso, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC: The lightest body of the reds had nice caramel and cherry notes. After 8-10 days maceration, the wine then spends 12 months in stainless steel tanks.
  • Santa Cecilia 2009, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC: This wine is 85% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and 15% Sangiovese creating a more elegant wine with cherry, vanilla and cocoa hints.

and my favorite was their…

Rosso dei Fauri 2007, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC

    • Grape Variety: 100% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
    • Aroma: Violet and cherry
    • Taste: BIG cherry, violet, licorice & dark chocolate notes
    • Thoughts: This is a lovely BIG wine! 2007 was a very bright and sunny season. You can taste it in the bold cherry notes. It was also very interesting the way the body of each red wine and the intensity of flavor increased from the Ottobre Ross (12 months in stainless) to the Rosso die Fauri (aged 36 months before bottling).

Saluté to new Italian wine discoveries!