Abruzzo’s
Triumphant 2025 Vintage

BY ERIC GUIDO | JUNE
4, 2026Covering Central Italy over the last two years has been a
brutal task due to the seemingly endless challenges of the 2023 and 2024
vintages. I felt deep empathy for the winemakers in these regions, as visits
revealed Peronospora-stricken vineyards in 2023, or vines with minuscule
canopies and clay soils cracked open during heatwaves and drought in 2024. In
retrospect, it seems that Abruzzo may have suffered more than any other Italian
region. However, the 2025 vintage was a blessing following Mother Nature’s
wrath. The growing season enabled a return to consistent quality and normal quantities,
but also to more classically styled wines. The icing on the cake is that if
2026 continues to play out as it has throughout the winter and spring, Abruzzo may
have another good vintage lined up. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1780519879306-Trebbiano+Abruzzese+planted+in+1974+in+the+Ciavolich+vineyards+around++Loreto+Aprutino_Vinous.jpg">Trebbiano Abruzzese planted in 1974 in the
Ciavolich vineyards around Loreto Aprutino. Abruzzo simply doesn’t get the credit it deserves. The
wines offer serious depth, complexity and structure in all colors. Best of all,
most wines remain exceptional values when compared to global peers. Abruzzo is
built on tradition, with many vineyards planted 30, 50 or even 100 years ago. Pergola
training, once considered outdated, has proven key to Abruzzo’s success. This
method allows a vine's foliage to shade the fruit during scorching summer
months while retaining moisture in the soil below.For many years, Montepulciano was Abruzzo’s standard-bearer
variety. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo remains one of the most dependably
high-quality choices on any restaurant wine list. While warming trends have
convinced several key producers (Valentini, Cingilia, De Fermo, among others)
that Montepulciano’s days are numbered, I do not foresee any decline in the
near future. Consumers
continue to vote with their dollars, and though Montepulciano may not be where
these producers want to focus their attention, the fact remains that it still
sells.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1780519833920-Abruzzo+Cover+2026+Torano+Nuovo+in+the+province+of+Teramo%2C+Abruzzo%2C+a+key+part+of+the+Colline+Teramane+DOCG_Vinous.jpg">Torano Nuovo in the province of Teramo, a key part of the Colline Teramane DOCG. The white Pecorino variety made a splash in the mid-2000s when
sommeliers clamored over its fruit intensity and riveting acidity. The quality
of Pecorino wines has reached a new high, especially in Abruzzo’s interior and
mountainous areas, where deep minerality and savory tension enter the mix.For those seeking a more serious style of white, enter
Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. While there is plenty of easy-drinking Trebbiano d’Abruzzo
in the market, this variety can reach an entirely different level. Old-vine
Trebbiano, whether crafted by quality-driven artisan winemakers who follow
strict cellar protocols to ensure purity, or by more traditional producers
whose methods lend the wines pleasant rusticity and oily textures, the variety is
a blank canvas for terroir.
Abruzzo also has its own distinct, elusive clone, Trebbiano Abruzzese, but
only a select few estates have verified the genetic makeup of their vineyards
to confirm what is in fact Trebbiano Abruzzese. To make matters more
complicated, the Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC requires wines to be at least 85%
Trebbiano Abruzzese, Trebbiano Toscano and/or Bombino Bianco, while the
remaining 15% can include other indigenous white varieties, such as Passerina,
Cococciola and Malvasia Toscana, which can lead to quite a bit of confusion
among consumers as to what 'Trebbiano d'Abruzzo' actually is. Not surprisingly,
this leads to a wide range of wines across the quality and stylistic spectrum.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1780519899777-Chiara_Vinous.png">Chiara De Iulis Pepe explains biodiversity on her young Montepulciano vineyards.Abruzzo is home to another compelling category that many
dismiss: Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo. Here, Montepulciano grapes are vinified with less
time on the skins, yielding lighter-hued wines that are mistakenly lumped into
the Rosé category. In fact, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is a rich, layered, structured
wine with bright, mouthwatering acidity. It may be the ultimate food-pairing
wine; Cerasuolo seems to go well with just about any cuisine. Moreover, as
tastes around the world lean toward fresher wines that can still deliver
complexity, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is poised to grow in popularity.Abruzzo Finds Its PlaceAbruzzo’s challenge is communicating a sense of place to
the end consumer. The region as a whole has made significant moves over the
past few years to raise quality standards, such as the changes to the DOC I
detailed in <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/abruzzo-trials-and-tribulations-sep-2024">my 2024 article</a>. These
new regulations focus on protecting consumers from bulk bottlers and companies
outside of Abruzzo that use the DOC on their labels but don’t bottle wines
within the region. These changes also saw the addition of the Superiore and
Riserva categories, which permit wineries to use subzone names, such as Colline
Pescaresi, Colline Teramane, Terre di l’Aquila and Terre di Chieti. Still,
these subzones make little sense to producers, as these territories are overly
broad and too generalized to accurately communicate terroir differences. The
DOC also added stipulations regarding fruit sources, lowered yields by 10%, and
reduced blending with other varieties to 15%. Ultimately, this is a win for
consumers and a positive development for wine quality.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1780519919836-Fausto_Vinous.png"> Fausto Albanesi of Torre dei Beati.As of the 2023 vintage, the eight preexisting territorial
IGTs were replaced by the new Terre d’Abruzzo IGT. While this caused a bit of a
stir at the time, many producers believe the possibility of adding Village
Designations (or UGAs) to wine labels is on the horizon. The Consorzio
Tutela Vini d'Abruzzo has indicated that they intend to move in that direction, but there is not yet a clear timeline for such changes to take effect.&nbsp;Hopefully, the
day will soon come when Montepulciano, Pecorino, Cerasuolo or Trebbiano
Superiore from Loreto Aprutino can be compared to those from Ofena or Cugnoli.
It’s been a long road for these changes to come to fruition, but now that the
end is in sight, it’s an exciting time to follow these wines.The 2025 Vintage and What Came BeforeThe bottled, early-release 2025s I’ve tasted so far are
simply irresistible—bright, lively, radiant, complex and crisply refreshing. Tasting
many barrel and tank samples during my recent visit, the maturing wines exhibited
perfumed, expressive personalities and balanced structures. Reds, whites and
Cerasuolos are all equally impressive in 2025. It will be especially
interesting to see whether these same vintage qualities lend themselves well to
communicating the complexities of the region’s terroirs. &nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1780519933932-Fabio_Vinous.png">Fabio di Donato of Cingilia in his three-year-old Trebbiano Abruzzese
vineyards, which he will one day use for his next single-vineyard wine. The word that best describes the 2025 season is balance.
While past vintages were defined by extremes, whether it was rain, drought or
heat, the 2025 season saw harmony between well-timed and plentiful
precipitation, warm, sunny days and a temperate harvest period. Following the
2024 drought, a cool and rainy start to the 2025 vintage replenished water
reserves. When I visited the region in March 2025, snow that remained in the
mountains was just beginning to melt. In previous years, the lack of winter
snow had a significant impact, but in 2025, mountain snow melted gradually and
flowed down to form water reserves. Cool temperatures delayed budbreak, which
was a blessing in disguise as it mitigated the risk of frost. Unlike in 2023,
regular windy conditions and breaks in precipitation helped maintain vine
health. A small temperature spike in June helped get the season back on track, and
the remainder of the summer was cooler than average. Large diurnal shifts
occurred through August and September, likely a reason for the 2025s' freshness
and perfume. A small amount of timely rain in the fall didn’t get in the way of
harvest. The 2025 season finished a bit earlier than the long-term average, but
the fruit was healthy with full phenolic ripeness.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1780519957273-Tiberio%27s+centennial+Trebbiano+Abruzzese+vines+recovered+after+the+2024+vintage_Vinous.jpg">Tiberio's century-old Trebbiano Abruzzese vines
recovered well after the challenging&nbsp;2024 vintage. In retrospect, 2024 was the complete opposite of 2025. The
vintage was compromised before it even began due to a lack of winter snow. As
mentioned previously, Abruzzo depends on a mountain snowpack that slowly melts
and replenishes streams and rivers. Without that, and with no spring rain to
compensate, the region suffered drought conditions from spring through August.
A late-April frost in areas like Cugnoli, Loreto Aprutino and the Peligna
Valley further compounded the crisis, halting sap flow just as budding began.
This created a perfect storm in which vines shut down from frost and failed to
restart due to drought. Though rain finally arrived late in the season, it
amounted to only 50% of the annual average. Coastal areas fared better in 2024,
as the sea’s warming influence and scattered rain helped vines escape the
frost, but they still struggled with heat and uneven ripening. Many producers did
not bottle any red Montepulciano in 2024, instead using their entire red grape
production for Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo. There are success stories, most involving
severe selection in the vineyard and significant adaptations in the winery, but
in the end, there’s very little wine to go around.I also revisited the 2023 vintage one last time, as some of
these wines are still entering the market. Abruzzo suffered three months of
continuous rain and overcast skies in the spring, triggering a catastrophic
outbreak of Peronospora. Many of the region’s organic estates depend on
spray treatments that, in 2023, washed off the vines as soon as they were
applied. The result was a staggering 70-80% loss of production, particularly in
coastal areas. To make matters worse, the following summer was arid and warm,
inducing hydric stress and slowing ripening. By harvest, the remaining bunches
often showed uneven ripeness and required drastic selection. Many estates lost
their entire production for the year, while others produced only Cerasuolo or had
to purchase fruit from larger industrial vineyards that managed the season
through chemical applications. The emerging silver lining of 2023 is the
minerality many of these wines are beginning to display. Trebbiano fared much
better than both Montepulciano and Pecorino, while many 2023 Trebbianos are
surprisingly fine.I tasted the wines for this article in Abruzzo in May
2026.© 2026, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or redistributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/abruzzo-weathers-the-storm-surviving-the-2023-and-2024-vintages-may-2025">Abruzzo Weathers the Storm: Surviving the 2023 and 2024 Vintages</a>, Eric Guido, May 2025<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/abruzzo-trials-and-tribulations-sep-2024">Abruzzo: Trials and Tribulations</a>, Eric Guido, September 2024 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/fonte-canale-redefining-trebbiano-d-abruzzo-aug-2024">Tiberio's Fonte Canale: Redefining Trebbiano d'Abruzzo</a>, Eric Guido, August 2024 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/chomping-at-the-bit-new-releases-from-abruzzo-aug-2023">Chomping at the Bit: New Releases from Abruzzo</a>, Eric Guido, August 2023 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/abruzzo-the-great-divide-oct-2022">Abruzzo: The Great Divide</a>, Eric Guido, October 2022

Content

Engage

Vinous

Social