Valle Reale winery
Buy wines from Weingut Valle Reale
The Italian region of Abruzzo is the greenest region in Europe and the Gran Sasso is also the highest mountain in Italy. The Pizzolo family founded their winery there in 1998 and produces great wines from the classic Abruzzo varieties according to biodynamic principles.
The region of Abruzzo is one of the most spectacular and, to this day, most remote in Italy. 36% of the total area belongs to three national parks, the Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e i Monti della Laga in the north with the highest mountain in the country, the Parco Nazionale della Majella in the south and the Parco Regionale Naturale del Sirente-Velino in the north-west. There are also more than thirty nature reserves. All of this in an area more than two thirds of which is over 750 metres above sea level. The Valle Reale vineyard is located between the provinces of Pescara and L'Aquila, right at the intersection of the three parks with a wealth of flora and fauna, biodiversity and species richness, including the Appennine wolf, the Marsican brown bear, chamois and birds of prey of many species that are now considered endangered.
the Pizzolo family founded a winery there in 1998, but it wasn't until 2007 that they found a path that was perfectly suited to the surrounding environment. "We are convinced that it is best to let the environment speak for itself in order to promote and protect it," says Leonardo Pizzolo, who runs the winery today. In collaboration with Prof Leonardo Valenti from the University of Milan, the origins of Trebbiano d'Abruzzo and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo were researched and old vineyards and plantations were sought and found. These include the historic San Calisto vineyard, from which the first cru of Valle Reale originated. Today, the vineyards are cultivated according to biodynamic principles and only indigenous yeasts are used for vinification. Today, 52 hectares between the villages of Popoli and Capestrano are under vines. The soils are characterised almost everywhere by clay, sand and a thin layer of limestone. The wines are matured in stainless steel and in wooden barrels, with no fining or filtering. Alongside Emidio Pepe and Valentini, Valle Reale is now also showing that great wines can be produced in this remote mountain region from grape varieties that have long been considered reliable "workhorses".
© Images: Valle Reale winery
