Agricola Caprera
Pietranico, Abruzzo
Certified Organic
Supported and inspired by scions of Italian natural wine such as Emidio Pepe and Francesco Guccione, Luca Paolo Virgilio has built a farm in Pietranico from which to explore the meaning of nature in this wild zone of Italy, where the mountains and sea seem almost to collide. Over 22 windswept hectares, dominated by forests, Luca Paolo farms just a few hectares of vines, alongside olive trees, grains, and beehives.
This is just a decade-old winery, but the farm is in the heart of a centuries-old region for winemaking: Pietranico, Abruzzo. Here, at 400 meters of elevation, stone crushing vats--le vasche, shown below--of untold age dot the agricultural landscape; this is an area almost prehistorically known for wine growing. Soils are limestone and bluish clay marls.
Given this commitment to the land, native grape varieties are the rule. Trebbiano Abruzzese and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo are planted with vine material from their friends at Emidio Pepe. These grapes, in this land, are endowed with a mineral expression and evocative intensity that feels clearly mountainous yet so different from alpine wines further north. The simultaneous clarity and complexity of Trebbiano and Montepulciano are not to be missed, but the magic of Abruzzo is encapsulated in Caprera’s Cerasuolo: pure but pulsating, deft yet never timid.
Organic farming and low-intervention winemaking from the start, with low sulfur, spontaneous
fermentations, and no oak for aging. Just a few thousand bottles made each year, these are beautifully pure, savory wines from Abruzzo--clean, but intensely proud of their place and personality. Superb, versatile, and energetic wines we are proud to represent.
Wines Available
“Le Vasche” Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC
“Sotto Il Ceraso” Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC
“Briccone” Vino Bianco (Trebbiano/Passerina)
“La Fortuna” Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC
“Le Vasche” Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC
