Cerasuolo
The quintessential Abruzzese
Before the development of modern winemaking techniques, in Abruzzo, grapes were typically vinified in white, meaning that the grape skins were separated from the must. When this technique was applied to Montepulciano grapes, it resulted in the production of Cerasuolo, a wine whose color and aromas resembled those of “cirase,” or cherries.
Therefore, Cerasuolo is a rosé wine like the others, but it is made from black-skinned grapes using white winemaking techniques. The characteristics of the grape lend the wine structure, aromas, and roundness that in many ways resemble those of a red wine.
Cerasuolo was the wine of celebrations, the good wine that was kept for friends, the pride of the farmer who produced it according to a recipe that could vary from household to household and was jealously passed down from father to son.
Thanks to these characteristics, Cerasuolo was the first rosé wine to be recognized as a DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) in Italy. Today, there is also the designation “Superiore,” which identifies a product with particularly pronounced organoleptic qualities, and it is a wine that can also be aged.
Cerasuolo is often used in Abruzzo to accompany typical dishes such as arrosticini (skewered lamb) and cured meats like ventricina, but being a wine with an interesting acidic component, its ideal pairing is with braised white meats or traditional fish dishes, particularly brodetto (fish stew).
