Terre Aquilane

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The territory of the province of L'Aquila is characterized by the wide extent and thickness of limestone formations, particularly compact limestones as well as dolomitic limestones, with frequent karst phenomena.
• The vine is present only in certain areas, notably the inner intermontane and alluvial basins such as the Alto Tirino, the Valle Peligna, the Valle Subequana, and the Valle Roveto, on well-exposed and well-drained soils.
• The climate is temperate in character, with rather cold and prolonged winters, mean annual temperatures ranging between 10 and 12°C, and peaks of 23–25°C in July.
• Annual rainfall averages around 800 mm/year, distributed evenly throughout the year, ranging from 40 mm in July–August to 70 mm in November–December.
• The Winkler heat summation index, that is, the cumulative mean active temperature over the April–October period, falls between 1,600 and 2,000 degree-days, conditions that ensure the optimal ripening of local varieties.

• Fra' Serafino Razzi, in the mid-sixteenth century, observed that in the L'Aquila area vines were not trained on stakes, probably on account of strong winds, but were left to trail along the ground.
• In 1792 the archivist Michele Torcia, in his Saggio Itinerario Nazionale pel Paese dei Peligni, recorded the Montepulciano variety for the first time and tasted its wine in the agricultural territory of Sulmona.
• In 1897 Ottavi and Marescalchi listed among the most widely grown white-berried varieties in the province of L'Aquila the Camplese, Racciapollone, Tivolese, Verdicchio, Malvasia, and Moscatello.

• The red wines display the physical and chemical characteristics typical of wines of good structure combined with great elegance and fineness on both the nose and the palate, bringing out the typic characters of the grape variety of origin.
• The white wines are fresh and aromatic, while those carrying a variety designation display the typical character of the respective grape varieties.

• The orographic configuration of sun-drenched and well-ventilated intermontane basins, combined with a dry climate and marked diurnal temperature ranges produced by the surrounding mountain massifs, provides the vine with excellent conditions for yielding high-quality fruit and wines of great freshness with pronounced acidity.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PGI-IT-A0898
• Official trade body site — Consorzio Tutela Vini d'Abruzzo