Caprera

Between the three mountain massifs of Gran Sasso, Majella and Sirente, Luca Virgilio founded his Caprera winery a few years ago, where he produces four wines that are deeply characterised by their region from Montepulciano, Trebbiano abruzzese and Pecorino, the exemplary grape varieties of the area.

However, as is so often the case in Abruzzo, the word ‘winery’ is too short-sighted. There are four hectares of vines on a total of 22 hectares - plus around 500 olive trees, a few hectares of grain fields with old varieties, from which he makes pasta, and a lot of forest. 

The surrounding ecosystem plays a crucial role in his concept, which is to be preserved in its diversity and understood in its immense complexity. The aim is to create a balance between cultivated plants and wild flora and fauna - which is why his entire area is, of course, organically farmed. Apart from this, he has planted hedges and herbs between the rows of vines and minimised soil work. He applies his own and biodynamic preparations to strengthen the soil and plants. The vineyards are planted with the usual suspects of the region. The red Montepulciano is rooted in the deep, loamy areas, while the white Trebbiano abruzzese and Pecorino are grown in the equally loamy but somewhat more compact soils. 

A total of four wines are bottled: two white wines, a rosé and a red wine, all of which are vinified according to the principles of the natural wine movement. In a few words, this means that they are fermented spontaneously and without fermentation aids, neither fined nor filtered and only minimally sulphurised. Due to the sunny, but often very fresh conditions at night, the wines have structure and substance, are crystal clear, direct and very lively.