Tiberio's Fonte Canale: Redefining Trebbiano d'Abruzzo
BY ERIC GUIDO |
Tiberio’s Fonte Canale, made from genetically verified Trebbiano Abruzzese, shows the world what is possible for white wines in Abruzzo. Over twenty years ago, before the inception of Fonte Canale, Trebbiano Toscano from Abruzzo–a much different grape from Trebbiano Abruzzese–was the main variety on the market. At the time, Valentini was the only winemaker producing the incredibly difficult-to-find Trebbiano Abruzzese. What set Valentini’s Trebbiano apart from an ocean of Trebbiano Toscano was rarely discussed. There was a simple lack of understanding, or interest, by winemakers to invest time into Trebbiano Abruzzese because sales of their Montepulciano were the staple of their income. That all changed with the release of the Tiberio Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Fonte Canale.
The Cugnoli landscape of rolling hills; you can see the Majella Mountain range in the distance.
It all started in 1999 when Riccardo Tiberio moved his entire family from coastal Pescara to the small town of Cugnoli. Tiberio had found a one-and-a-half hectare vineyard planted to old vine Trebbiano Abruzzese using the traditional double pergola training system. The vines were planted piede franco (ungrafted) and had continued to thrive over decades due to the high content of sand in the soils. Tiberio’s daughter, Cristiana, urged him to purchase it.
In only 12 years, Fonte Canale has become one of Italy's iconic white wines. Tiberio’s Fonte Canale is made from the hard-to-find Trebbiano Abruzzese grape. This vertical, spanning the first official release in 2012 up to a preview of the yet-to-be-released 2022, will give readers a good idea of how the wines develop over time.
