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To showcase this wine, the Atri winery, founded in 2018, invited expert sommelier Gianni Sinesi to participate.
by Eleonora Lopes Cerasuolo was the star of the evening organized at Amber Wine Corner, a venue in the heart of Pescara owned by Vinum Hadrianum. The event, entitled “Abruzzo in due sorsi” (Abruzzo in two sips), was conceived by Piero Pavone and Angela Ippoliti, owners of the winery founded in Atri in 2018.
Publicius Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC is the name of the wine tasted by the press and industry professionals last Monday, in the 2023 and 2024 vintages. The tasting was led by Gianni Sinesi, sommelier and maître d' for 20 years alongside Cristiana and Niko Romito at the Reale restaurant, now a consultant and freelancer in this field.
“Our production philosophy,” began Marta Lupoletti, Project Director at Hadrianum, "is to vinify mainly in amphorae, precisely to recall the ancient tradition of the Atri area. The amphorae used are made by the masters of Castelli, and maceration on the skins and intense aromatic profiles are the characteristics of our wines. However, the cerasuoli wines we will be tasting this evening have not been vinified in amphorae, apart from a small batch for 2023. The production of this wine is small, less than 4,000 bottles."
But let's get to the heart of the tasting led by Sinesi. “Cerasuolo is definitely a wine,” said Sinesi, "that in recent years has earned the recognition it deserves, namely not a wine that is halfway between white and red, but Cerasuolo with its unique and well-defined characteristics. The wines we are tasting this evening from the Vinum Hadrianum Winery, which I thank for involving me, are a great expression of this, also because I consider the Teramo hills to be of great value for this wine and for reds in general. The two vintages, 2023 and 2024, are different from each other but both retain the distinctive characteristics of this wine. On the palate, they are fresh and well-balanced, with a pleasant sapidity that completes the rather long finish of the 2024 and a softer and more elegant finish of the 2023. There was also talk of color, a very hot topic for Cerasuolo. “I would describe it as a Pompeian fresco, a beautiful red,” added Sinesi. “A dark, intense color that characterizes the Teramo hills. These wines are two sides of the same coin. For a more playful drink, choose the 2024, for a more intense sip, choose the 2023.”
Oenologist Alessandro Margioni and Gilberto Cocciarficco, head of the winery and vineyard management, also took part in the tasting to provide guests with some technical details. Together with owner Pavone, they decided to add an unscheduled event, offering guests the opportunity to taste the first vintage of Publicius, the 2021.At the end of the discussion, Angela and Piero entertained guests with other wines from the winery accompanied by finger food prepared by PiùTosto Gastro Bottega, also in Atri.
Amber, which recently celebrated its second anniversary, is not only a place to enjoy an aperitif and buy Hadrianum wines, but also a place to hold discussions and meetings such as these.
