It’s no secret that Abruzzo, though sometimes unfairly associated with an over-abundance of Trader Joe’s-style factory-farmed wines, has cemented itself as one of Italy’s great wine regions when it comes to natural winemaking. Legendary producers adorn the calf of the “boot” flanked by the Adriatic on one side and marked by the towering Montagne del Marrone towards the center. It’s no surprise that here—among this rustic and brooding landscape of vines hovering at 2,000 meters of elevation—there is room for new life to spring. Vineyards formerly sold to co-ops, conventionally farmed, or even abandoned: these are parcels ripe for the picking. Winemakers with a vision for the future have jumped into the fray, proving there is more to Abruzzo than meets the eye.

Antonio Santini is one of these trailblazers. His project, Agricola Estroversa, a joint effort with his business partner Gianluca, is the COVID project to end all COVID projects: a 2.5 hectare vineyard in the Valle Peligna, left to ruin by its former owners. If not for the amount of free time they had on their hands, the amount of overgrowth and dilapidation would have been insurmountable. The vineyard proved to be a gem worth saving, the resulting wines bursting with life.

‘We make wines as we are,’ the saying goes, and these are no exception. Antonio is undeniably charming, propelled by sheer excitement for his craft and the place he calls home. (Our various meetings, phone calls, and email exchanges are inevitably punctuated with one simple question: “when are you coming to Abruzzo?”…a smile on his face, a glint in his eyes.)

This warmth and geniality Antonio radiates underscore an earnest commitment to his brand of agriculture. “Natural wines are now a term that is too inflated, the victim of a real fashion,” Antonio reflects. “There are bottles… with a thousand defects which overshadow those who work well. We prefer to call it agricultural wine, the fruit of agricultural work.”¹ His wines are very ‘correct’ expressions of Abruzzo, but in no way are they boring or formulaic. They ooze tradition and honesty, fueled by the spark of enthusiasm they share with their maker.

AGRICOLA ESTROVERSA

Country: Italy

Region: Abruzzo

Sub-region or Appellation: Valle Peligna

Winemakers: Antonio Santini

Viticulture: Organic

Terroir: Clay, stone

Size: 2.5 Hectares

Instagram: @agricolaestroversa

ESTROVERSA :: Bianco

Vintage: 2022
Varieties: Trebbiano
Style: White Wine
ABV: 11%
Region: Abruzzo
Sub-Region or Appellation: Valle Peligna
Viticulture: Organic
Soils: Clay, stone
Yeasts: Indigenous
Vinification: Vinified in two parts, the first is direct-pressed, and the other undergoes 22 days of skin contact.
Aging: Stainless steel
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: Minimal

ESTROVERSA :: Ramato

Vintage: 2023
Varieties: Trebbiano
Style: Skin-Contact Wine
ABV: 12%
Region: Abruzzo
Sub-Region or Appellation: Valle Peligna
Viticulture: Organic
Soils: Clay, stone
Yeasts: Indigenous
Vinification: 60 days of skin-contact in concrete. Daily punchdowns during fermentation, and racked into stainless steel after maceration.
Aging: Stainless steel for 6 months
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: Minimal

ESTROVERSA :: Rosato

Vintage: 2022
Varieties: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Style: Rosé Wine
ABV: 12.5%
Region: Abruzzo
Sub-Region or Appellation: Valle Peligna
Viticulture: Organic
Soils: Clay, stone
Yeasts: Indigenous
Vinification: 48 hours of skin-contact, fermentation in concrete
Aging: Stainless steel
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: Minimal

ESTROVERSA :: Rosso

Vintage: 2022
Varieties: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Style: Red Wine
ABV: 12%
Region: Abruzzo
Sub-Region or Appellation: Valle Peligna
Viticulture: Organic
Soils: Clay, stone
Yeasts: Indigenous
Vinification: Fermented in open vats, punch downs done by hand
Aging: Stainless steel
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: Minimal