Vini Rabasco

Iole Rabasco took over her family winery in the 2000s, shifting away from her life as a lawyer and dedicating herself instead to organically farming the 11 acres of vines and olive trees nestled between the Adriatic Sea and the Gran Sasso mountains. The land had never been treated with chemicals, and in 2006 she converted it completely to biodynamic farming. From the start, her aim has been clear: to leave the land better than she found it. 

Her commitment to nurturing the land is evident in her wines, which vibrate with a lightness and energy that is rare for this traditional winemaking region. Iole hand-harvests her grapes, which are all processed almost immediately to best preserve the character of her vineyards. She focuses on the primary grape varietals of Abruzzo — Montepulciano for reds, Trebbiano for whites — all of which come from vineyards which were planted on average 40 years ago, and 450 meters above sea level.

Her labels are all hand-drawn in the Art Nouveau style of poet Gabriele d’Annunzio, while the transparent bottles are an ode to the bottles she’d share with her grandfather during Sunday lunches. 

Quick facts:

Location: the village of Pianella, in the Pescara province of Abruzzo, Italy

Owner & winemaker: Iole Rabasco

Vineyard management: 40 year old vines which have never been treated with chemicals

Soils: Calcareous clay, alluvial sediment, fossil remains

Main varieties: Montepulciano and Trebbiano

Winemaking: hand-harvest only, wines are directly pressed or macerated for up to one week depending on the vintage. Indigenous yeast only, fermented in open vats and aged in stainless steel tanks or Damigiana. Yields are kept low in order to promote freshness and vibrant acidity. No fining, no filter, no added SO2. 

Wines:

Cancelli Bianco

Grapes: Trebbiano d’Abruzzo

Vineyard: La Conchetta Vineyard, 40 year old vines

Making of: The grapes are harvested by hand, then directly pressed before undergoing spontaneous fermentation. Aged in stainless steel. No fining, filtering, or added sulfur. 

 Cancelli Rosato

Grapes: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

Vineyard: Cancelli Vineyard, 40 year old vines, south west exposure

Making of: The grapes are harvested by hand, then directly pressed before undergoing spontaneous fermentation. Aged in stainless steel. No fining, filtering, or added sulfur. 

Cancelli Rosso

Grapes: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

Vineyard: Cancelli Vineyard, 40 year old vines, south west exposure

Making of: The grapes are harvested by hand, then spend 4-7 days macerating on the skins, depending on the vintage, before undergoing spontaneous fermentation. Aged in stainless steel. No fining, filtering, or added sulfur. 

Damigiana Bianco

Grapes: Trebbiano d’Abruzzo

Vineyard: La Salita vineyard

Making of: The grapes are harvested by hand, then spend 4-10 days macerating on the skins, depending on the vintage (10 days for 2024), before undergoing spontaneous fermentation. Aged in 54 liter Damigiana until bottling on March 1. Malolactic fermentation occurs in bottle, in order to highlight the distinctive traits of the terroir. No fining, filtering, or added sulfur. 

Damigiana Rosato 

Grapes: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

Vineyard: San Desiderio vineyard, a hillside vineyard close to the sea that has never been treated with chemicals, with southern exposure

Making of: The grapes are harvested by hand, then directly pressed before undergoing spontaneous fermentation in open vats. Aged in 54 liter Damigiana until bottled by hand in spring. No fining, filtering, or added sulfur. 

Damigiana Rosso 

Grapes: Montepulciano

Vineyard: San Desiderio vineyard, a hillside vineyard close to the sea that has never been treated with chemicals, with southern exposure

Making of: The grapes are harvested by hand, then spend 7 days macerating on the skins, depending on the vintage, before undergoing spontaneous fermentation. Aged in 54 liter Damigiana until bottling on March 1. Malolactic fermentation occurs in bottle, in order to highlight the distinctive traits of the terroir. No fining, filtering, or added sulfur. 

 

 

La Salita

Grapes: Trebbiano d’Abruzzo

Vineyard: La Salita vineyard, on a steep slope which benefits from north east exposure, which lends itself to bright acidity

Making of: The grapes are harvested by hand, then directly pressed before undergoing spontaneous fermentation in open vats. Aged in glass-lined resin tanks and racked twice before bottling in March. Malolactic fermentation occurs in bottle, in order to highlight the distinctive traits of the terroir. No fining, filtering, or added sulfur.