New Releases from Abruzzo and Molise: A Mixed Bag

BY IAN D'AGATA | SEPTEMBER 18, 2018

Current releases from Abruzzo and Molise are mostly white wines from the very hot, dry, challenging 2017 growing season and fresh reds from the more classic 2016 harvest. Vintage difficulties aside, these regions offer many pleasant surprises, not to mention some stunning bargains.

Abruzzo and Molise perfectly demonstrate all that is at once infuriating and sublime about Italian wines. On one hand, these regions offer hand-crafted, distinctive wines at often unbeatable prices, mostly from small family-run estates; on the other, they also produce far too many insipid bottles that risk nullifying—in the public’s mind, at least—the unquestionable progress that has been made in these two areas over the last ten years.

The beautiful patchwork that is Abruzzo's countryside

Abruzzo and Molise: Two Remarkably Beautiful Regions

Although largely unknown to the huge masses of tourists that flock to Italy every year, Abruzzo and Molise are extremely scenic and in some sections quite unspoiled. The Adriatic is the shallowest of Italy’s four seas, and its southern portion is particularly clean and rich in marine life. Sights like the fishing stalls (trabocchi) that dot the coastline of the province of Chieti are truly unforgettable, especially at evening’s approach. Both regions offer a wealth of natural and man-made sights that are well worth seeing. Examples of the former include Abruzzo’s beautiful lakes of Scanno, situated in a high mountaintop area that will have you thinking you’re in Canada or Northern Europe, as well as Molise’s Riserva Naturale di Montedimezzo and the Giardino della Flora Appenninica in Capracotta, two beautiful national parks. Monuments and buildings of particular interest include Abruzzo’s 17th-century San Benedetto Abate Church (in Controguerra) and the Church of Santa Maria in Piano (in the town of Loreto Aprutino) with its beautiful 15th-century frescoes, and Molise’s Santa Maria a Mare Church in Campomarino. Readers might like to know that the wine-producing town of Cugnoli in Abruzzo is home to the family of Sergio Marchionne, the uniquely talented man who helped save both Fiat and Chrysler and who recently passed away.

And both regions boast uniquely flavorful cuisines rich in both mountain and marine elements, the dishes of which are quite different from those you’ll taste in Tuscany, Puglia or Liguria, for example. In Abruzzo, don’t miss out on the famous saffron from Navelli, the ventricina (a salami), and the red garlic of Sulmona. Also check out the lamb-based dishes and many versions of brodetto, a fish stew for which every coastal town has its own recipe. And when in Molise, make sure you try such delicacies as the local fresh goat cheese, the cavatelli pasta, and the scamorza appassita, one of Italy’s best cheeses.