Masciarelli Tenute Agricole was born in 1981 from the entrepreneurial intuition of Gianni Masciarelli, after an enlightening experience of harvesting grapes in Champagne when he was only 20 years old. A symbolic figure on the Italian wine scene, he became a protagonist in the affirmation of modern Abruzzo winemaking-a dream he realized thanks to the passion for wine inherited from his maternal grandfather Umberto. It is thanks to him that the Guyot training system will be known in Abruzzo and that the use of French oak barrels for the aging of the most authoritative Montepulciano and Trebbiano wines will begin to spread in the cellars. The constant study of the specificities of the Abruzzo territory and the search for the most innovative techniques leads to the selection and preservation of the oldest and least productive vineyards, and to the obsessive care of the work in the field as well as the activities in the cellar. In 1987, the meeting between Gianni and Marina Cvetic determined the birth of a private and professional bond destined to give the winery an international turn and carry the message of Abruzzo's excellence to the world. The winery is led today by Marina herself and her daughter, Miriam Lee.

Masciarelli Tenute Agricole is headquartered in San Martino sulla Marrucina, some 20 kilometers south of Chieti, and has estate vineyards in all four provinces of Abruzzo, with a total area around 300 hectares divided into 60 different plots. The plots in the province of Chieti are affected by Adriatic and mountain influences, with soils characterized by a strong limestone presence. In the Pescara area, clay and silt soils are accompanied by a Mediterranean climate and the presence of the Calderone glacier. The Teramo hills constitute Montepulciano's great terroir: slopes sloping down from Gran Sasso toward the sea, composed of characteristic red clays. Finally, in the province of L'Aquila, there are true mountain vineyards, rooted on terraces of lacustrine origin. In this context of extreme variety of altitudes, exposures, microclimates and soils, essentially Montepulciano and Trebbiano grapes are grown, alongside the other native Cococciola and Pecorino, as well as the international Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Masciarelli Tenute Agricole's production now counts 22 labels and 7 product lines: from the historic Villa Gemma, to the iconic Marina Cvetic, passing through the labels expressly designed for Gianni Masciarelli catering. Under the banner of innovation and with respect for the environment and tradition, the winery has inaugurated, after a long conservative restoration, the Castello di Semivicoli, a 17th-century baronial palace that is now a relais de charme among the vineyards, a driving force behind wine tourism in the area.

Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Superiore 'Villa Gemma' Masciarelli 2024

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