As an export manager with decades of experience working for a large winery in Abruzzo, Ricardo Tiberio knew a great opportunity when he saw one: a high elevation vineyard with healthy, old vines of Montepulciano and the rare Trebbiano Abruzzese. He bought the vineyard in 2000 and now his children Christiana and Antonio run the winemaking and farming, respectively. Christiana’s previous experience working for some of the most respected winemakers in France, as well as being a professor of winemaking chemistry, have meant that her wines have very quickly gained the winery an excellent reputation. This wine is made from old-vine, hand-picked, sustainably grown Montepulciano grapes. (Don’t confuse the Montepulciano grape with the town in Tuscany that makes burly wine from the Sangiovese grape.) This wine sees no wood, as the Montepulciano grape can lose its quintessential fruitiness when aged in an oxidative environment. This is a full-bodied, yet smooth, wine with abundant red berries and subtle coriander and tarragon spice.