Col del Mondo

The Col del Mondo farm was created by three winemakers whose aim was to enhance the wines of the Abruzzo hills improving their distribution and image. Great commitment and many resources have been dedicated to researching wine-making history, the local area characteristics, its soil and its indigenous vines. Passion for the Abruzzo wine-making history and entrepreneurial spirit, led to an intense control of all the characteristics of the soils and strains of Montepulciano, through separate wine making process of limited quantity of grapes. With the 2001 grape harvest the wine making began and the product started being marketed.

The area known as “Col del Mondo” is located within the municipality of Collecorvino, a small town near Pescara (near the coast if the Adriatic). The area surrounding the farm is characteristically rolling hills that stretch from the Apennines to the Adriatic coast. The Apennines, a rugged mountain range often covered by snow including the Gran Sasso and Maiella mountains, dominate the view to the west whereas to the east, a series of hills roll gently out to the sea. During the Pliocene era these surroundings were occupied by a sea opposing the young mountain range. The rivers have since brought with them silt, depositing clays, lime and sand. The following period, called the Pleistocene, was characterized by glaciations. During this time the Abruzzo region was formed by a series of glaciers and valleys that were carved out of the rock as a result of rivers stemming from vast bodies of water. From a mountainous point of view, Collecorvino is situated to the left of the Tavo Valley with plots of land varying in altitude from 150 to 300 meters. The soil is nothing if not varied and differs according to the hillside and the period in which the soil was formed. It is very common to find clayey marls, often calcareous or loose soil, rich in skeletal material, especially around the top of the hills. This is indeed the case for the highest relief of the area which is called “Colle del Mondo”. Here, one can find a soil rich in morainic material (glacial deposits) which gives life to an old strain of the small but highly palatable Montepulciano wine grape.

The grape is widely planted throughout central and southern Italy, most notably in Abruzzo, Latium, Marche, Molise, Umbria and Apulia, and is a permitted variety in DOC wines produced in 20 of Italy’s 95 provinces. Montepulciano is rarely found in northern Italy because the grape has a tendency to ripen late and can be excessively “green” if harvested too early.
When fully ripened, Montepulciano can produce deeply colored wines, with moderate acidity and noticeable extract and alcohol levels.

Our Wines

 

“Kerrias”- 2011
MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO – DOC

The Kerrias is the best summary of major research work done on the vine Montepulciano. We use only the best grapes from vineyards planted espalier, selecting the clusters, which are removed manually. The maceration is pushed in search of a better extraction of polyphenols through frequent pumping and some delestages during the most active phase of fermentation, while in its final stage these treatments are more delicate and small. The aging is prolonged and occurs first in barrels for 18 – 24 months, then for one year in bottle: it is a wine with strong characteristics of elegance, softness and richness of different notes. It is familiarly called “Uncle”, as it reminds us of a family full of charm, and prodigal, in each encounter, with gifts and new experiences.

Varietal: 100% Montepulciano
Altitude of Vineyard: 300m above sea level
Terroir: white stone moraine supported by limited and clays characterize a first vineyard; more marls and argillaceous limestone features are the components of the soil of a second farm
Exposure: Southwest, 4000 plants per Ha
Vineyard Age:
13-14 years
Yield per Hectare:
80 Quintal per Ha
Harvest Period/Method: 1st week in October/by hand.
Alcohol Content: 14.5% Vol.
Fermentation: stainless steel 50 hectoliters
Malolactic: Yes, 100%
Maturation: French barriques for 14 months
Filling period: in spring of the third year following the harvest
Suggested serving temperature: 18°C (64-65°F)

Download “Kerrias” 2011 Specification PDF

 

MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO – “Terre dei Vestini” – DOC – 2012

Montepulciano Col del Mondo, is among our wines, the most symbolic and significant, because more representative of the land and the traditions of Abruzzo, of our commitment and immense passion. When we created our company, we started from the classic grape of Abruzzo, Montepulciano, to make our wines. Our best application should be full at both conceptual (the research of essence of Montepulciano) and practical (the use of new and different technologies in vinifying and enological at every point of the production process) to achieve a steady improvement in the quality but always in compliance with the typicality of the wine. The grapes are destemmed, crushed and then fermented at controlled temperature (max 28° C), while the maceration lasts 3 to 4 weeks, depending on the vintage, with frequent pumping over and delestages. Then the wine is transferred into barrels, where malolactic fermentation takes place at the end of which many batonnages are done. Since spring, the wine rests quiet for 18 months.

Varietal: 100% Montepulciano
Altitude of Vineyard: 300m above sea level
Terroir: white stone moraine supported by limited and clays characterize a first vineyard; more marls and argillaceous limestone features are the components of the soil of a second farm
Exposure: Southwest, 4000 plants per Ha
Vineyard Age:
12-13 years
Yield per Hectare:
85 Quintals per Ha
Harvest Period/Method: 1st week in October/by hand.
Alcohol Content: 14.5% Vol.
Fermentation: stainless steel 50 hectoliters
Malolactic: Yes, 100%
Maturation: French barriques for 14 months
Filling period: in spring of the third year following the harvest
Suggested serving temperature: 18°C (64-65°F)

Download “Terre dei Vestini” 2012 Specification PDF

 

“Sunnae”  – 2016
MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO – DOC

This wine, produced for the first time in 2004 to complete our range of red wines based on Montepulciano grapes, has nice acidity, with notes of fresh fruit, the “ready to drink” and matching, even if the body and structure remain important. To achieve this, we first selected and then used grapes from cooler and vigorous soil, slightly increasing yields. The grapes are hand-picked and undergoes a cold maceration prefermentative, in CO2 atmospheric, for 18-24 hrs. Fermentation occurs by limiting the temperature at not more than 26-27°C with frequent pumping of small volumes of fluid so as not to spoil too much vinasse. The stage of maceration of pomace takes about 15 days, owing to the season.

Varietal: 100% Montepulciano
Altitude of Vineyard: 200m above sea level
Terroir: Calcareous marl rich in white morainic and alluvial material
Exposure: Southeast, 4,400 plants per Ha
Vineyard Age:
8-9 years
Yield per Hectare:
95 Quintals per Ha
Harvest Period/Method: 1st week in October/by hand.
Alcohol Content: 13.5% Vol.
Fermentation: stainless steel 50 hectoliters
Malolactic: Yes, 100%
Maturation: in vitrified cement tanks
Filling period: in spring of the second year following the harvest
Suggested serving temperature: 18°C (64-65°F)

Download “Sunnae” 2016 Specification PDF