By Adriana Krstic
By February each year, I start to tire of winter-weight wines and long for the warmer weather and refreshing options. It leaves me pondering what to drink with a Valentine’s Day meal. There is still a lot of winter ahead, but my palate is turning to spring.
I found an answer on a recent trip to Abruzzo, one of the most captivating yet often overlooked destinations in Italy. Only 2-1/2 hours east of Rome, nestled between the Apennine Mountains and 80 miles of Adriatic coastline, Abruzzo remains relatively untouched by mass tourism. I fell in love with the vistas, deliciously soulful cuisine, and centuries old winemaking tradition.
Abruzzo’s wine heritage is one of its greatest treasures. You may have already tasted Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, the region’s deeply colored, robust red wine made with the montepulciano grape (not to be confused with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from Tuscany). This full-bodied red is delicious accompanying rich meat sauces, hearty pastas or arrosticini (traditional lamb skewers).
While I also enjoyed tasting through many organic and biodynamic white wines made with standout trebbiano, pecorino (not cheese!), coccociola, and passerina grapes, my heart was stolen by the vividly hued cerasuolo (chera-swo-lo), Cerasuolo is neither a pale, quaffable summer rosé nor a chillable red wine so popular in recent years. It is a serious, deeply colored, structured wine that reflects the power of its primary grape, montepulciano. I’d like to compare it to a unique sensory bridge between a red and a rosé, a category in its own right. Cerasuolo is intense and fresh with a grip, weight, and aging potential – think young love on Valentine’s Day.
The taste offers a compelling balance of fruit, acidity, and subtle structure. Aromas often include red or sour cherry, wild strawberry, pomegranate, or red currant. I particularly enjoy its floral notes with hints of dried herbs, spice, and orange peel. The acidity is bright, reflecting Abruzzo’s elevation and proximity to the sea. It can also be textural with gentle tannins without the palate-drying effect. Pair cerasuolo with anything from heavier seafood stews and light, grilled fish to substantial lamb, cured meats, and tomato-based pasta dishes. I like it with a plate of cured meats and a hunk of pecorino cheese on a lazy night for a dinner with minimal clean up.
Historically, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo has been a wine of everyday life valued for its quality and versatility. One receiving its own DOC classification, which is a prestigious classification for quality and geographic location, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo gained broader recognition. It is a grape that deeply expresses the sense of place of its origin: the dramatic contrasts of mountain ranges, the Mediterranean-like climate of its beautiful and rugged coastline and the unique soils of clay, limestone, and sand resulting in a mineral undertones of the wine.
The stunning color and the name itself (meaning ‘cherry red’) come from a short grape maceration which extracts uniquely substantial color and phenolics. Unlike the pretty-pale pink hues of Provence rosés, cerasuolo stuns with a lightest version of red and offers an aging potential. This means that you do not have to rush to drink it and you can easily forget it in the back of your wine fridge and still enjoy it much later.
Adriana Krstic is a Rye-based sommelier and wine expert.
