Tiberio Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy 2024
The story of Azienda Agricola Tiberio reads more like a New World founding tale than an Old World inheritance. In 2000, Riccardo Tiberio — then working as export manager for a major Abruzzo cantina — came across an 8-hectare plot of old-vine Trebbiano Abruzzese near the hillside town of Cugnoli, 350 meters above sea level and 23 miles inland from Pescara. Recognizing the rarity of the variety (long confused with and displaced by inferior Trebbiano Toscano in Abruzzo), he purchased the property and committed to building an estate around the region's authentic indigenous grapes. The first vintage followed in 2004. In 2008, Riccardo handed the winery to his children: daughter Cristiana as winemaker, and son Antonio as agronomist. Cristiana, a chemistry graduate who also teaches winemaking chemistry and sommelier courses, has since trained at Jacques Selosse, Nicolas Joly, and Egon Müller — an education that informs her precision-oriented, low-intervention approach. The estate now farms 30 hectares across Cugnoli, with the Cerasuolo recognized as one of the most serious and structured expressions of the appellation in Abruzzo.
- Winemaker: Cristiana Tiberio
- Farming: Organic. Estate vineyards in Cugnoli (PE), planted at 4,000 vines per hectare, Guyot trained.
- Variety: Montepulciano 100% (massal selection). In 2024, Cristiana Tiberio dedicated all Montepulciano fruit to the Cerasuolo rather than producing a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo red.
- Terroir: Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOP, Cugnoli, Pescara, Abruzzo. The Montepulciano block sits at 350 meters above sea level on limestone soils with southern exposure, in the hills between the Majella massif and the Adriatic coast. The elevation and the cool air currents descending from the Central Apennines extend the growing season and preserve natural acidity. Average vine age 23 years; planted from massal selections derived from heritage clones of the estate's original old-vine material. Yield: 45 hl/ha.
- Vinification: Hand harvested mid-September. Destemmed; no maceration, no press — only free-run juice is used. Fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts. Malolactic fermentation deliberately blocked. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
- Aging: In bottle. No oak contact.
- Tasting Notes: Vivid pink-fuchsia with brilliant clarity. The nose is intensely perfumed — black cherry, wild blueberry, fresh strawberry, pomegranate, and lavender, with a floral arc of violet and a hint of spice. The palate is ample and tactile with surprising density for a rosé, a refreshing tartness on the finish, and a long, mineral-framed close.
- Food Pairings: Grilled branzino, pasta all'amatriciana, wood-fired pizza, charcuterie, and soft fresh cheeses.
Tiberio Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy 2024
The story of Azienda Agricola Tiberio reads more like a New World founding tale than an Old World inheritance. In 2000, Riccardo Tiberio — then working as export manager for a major Abruzzo cantina — came across an 8-hectare plot of old-vine Trebbiano Abruzzese near the hillside town of Cugnoli, 350 meters above sea level and 23 miles inland from Pescara. Recognizing the rarity of the variety (long confused with and displaced by inferior Trebbiano Toscano in Abruzzo), he purchased the property and committed to building an estate around the region's authentic indigenous grapes. The first vintage followed in 2004. In 2008, Riccardo handed the winery to his children: daughter Cristiana as winemaker, and son Antonio as agronomist. Cristiana, a chemistry graduate who also teaches winemaking chemistry and sommelier courses, has since trained at Jacques Selosse, Nicolas Joly, and Egon Müller — an education that informs her precision-oriented, low-intervention approach. The estate now farms 30 hectares across Cugnoli, with the Cerasuolo recognized as one of the most serious and structured expressions of the appellation in Abruzzo.
- Winemaker: Cristiana Tiberio
- Farming: Organic. Estate vineyards in Cugnoli (PE), planted at 4,000 vines per hectare, Guyot trained.
- Variety: Montepulciano 100% (massal selection). In 2024, Cristiana Tiberio dedicated all Montepulciano fruit to the Cerasuolo rather than producing a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo red.
- Terroir: Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOP, Cugnoli, Pescara, Abruzzo. The Montepulciano block sits at 350 meters above sea level on limestone soils with southern exposure, in the hills between the Majella massif and the Adriatic coast. The elevation and the cool air currents descending from the Central Apennines extend the growing season and preserve natural acidity. Average vine age 23 years; planted from massal selections derived from heritage clones of the estate's original old-vine material. Yield: 45 hl/ha.
- Vinification: Hand harvested mid-September. Destemmed; no maceration, no press — only free-run juice is used. Fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts. Malolactic fermentation deliberately blocked. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
- Aging: In bottle. No oak contact.
- Tasting Notes: Vivid pink-fuchsia with brilliant clarity. The nose is intensely perfumed — black cherry, wild blueberry, fresh strawberry, pomegranate, and lavender, with a floral arc of violet and a hint of spice. The palate is ample and tactile with surprising density for a rosé, a refreshing tartness on the finish, and a long, mineral-framed close.
- Food Pairings: Grilled branzino, pasta all'amatriciana, wood-fired pizza, charcuterie, and soft fresh cheeses.