Cantina Tollo, a company that has been one of the main ambassadors of the flavors of Abruzzo for more than sixty years, will launch Maiolica Igp Terre di Chieti, a red wine made from grapes of this indigenous variety rediscovered thanks to the work of their group. The new reference will make its debut first at ProWein, scheduled in Düsseldorf from 19 to 21 March, and then at Vinitaly, in Verona from 2 to 5 April.

Majolica is a grape variety once cultivated in Abruzzo and later abandoned. Historical traces of its cultivation are witnessed already in 1875. The recovery of the variety was made possible thanks to the work of Cantina Tollo and the germ bank of the Istituto Sperimentale di Viticoltura di Conegliano Veneto (Treviso). The cooperative was one of the first companies to receive the vine shoots, planted in 2019, and to market bottles of Maiolica Igp Terre di Chieti from the 2021 vintage. The small experimental vineyard is located in the municipality of Tollo, but cultivation has also begun in hilly environments, with a greater temperature range, to test and assess the suitable habitat for the vine. “We have always been proud ambassadors of Abruzzo in the world,” explains Luciano Gagliardi, President of Cantina Tollo. “The rediscovery of the majolica vine is the revival of a piece of our collective history, which coincides with that of the place that gives the winery its name. Once again, therefore, we are bringing back the roots of an extraordinary territory like that of Tollo”.

The image depicted on the label reproduces the tile specially made by ceramicist Lorenzo Di Stefano, who was inspired by the 17th-century decorations of the country church of San Donato di Castelli (Teramo). The tile chosen for Cantina Tollo's new label is precisely one of these beautiful women with an austere profile and rich clothing standing out against a deep blue background. Maiolica Igp Terre di Chieti is a soft ruby-colored wine with hints of macerated wild strawberry and raspberry. On the palate, it is elegant, and medium-bodied, with silky, balanced tannins and a lively acidity that leads to a long, deep finish.

Maiolica IGT Terre di Chieti will be on sale in Cantina Tollo's eshop from April, at 13 euro.