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- Chris Boiling
- 2025-01-14
What a beautiful addition to a bottle of wine: a vine sprig tied by hand around the neck.
It’s on the Tralcetto range by Italian producer Zaccagnini, the Abruzzo winery acquired by the giant Argea Group in 2023.
The bottle decoration demonstrates the producer’s commitment to sharing “ancient charm, local lore and artistic legacies”, according to Zaccagnini. It also symbolises “the deep-rooted connection between wine and terroir”.
Giacomo Tarquini, group marketing director of Gruppo Argea, explains: “So the packaging – the stick – and the message behind the bottle create a sort of unique storytelling that talks about nature, human beings and culture.”
The one-bud sprigs are harvested from estate vineyards during the annual pruning and are meticulously hand-tied on every bottle by women from Bolognano, the town in Pescara where the winery was founded. The idea is to “infuse each bottle with the magic of ancient artisan craft”.
The company also maintains this emblematic gesture has placed Zaccagnini “as an ambassador for Abruzzo’s rich viticultural heritage and its finest wines”.
The Tralcetto line is a great example of what Zaccagnini is about. As founder Marcello Zaccagnini says: “Tralcetto is a daily reminder of who we are.”
The first vintage was in 1978. Traditionally, the line featured six labels that showcased the region’s grape varieties: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo and Pecorino. But, last year, it added three more wines.
One is destined to become the flagship of the line: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva. “Tralcetto Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva embodies our commitment to revitalise this distinctive Zaccagnini line,” Giacomo says. “With this new release, we stay true to the line’s stylistic signature while presenting one of the most exceptional interpretations of the DOC. It marks a significant step forward in both quality and positioning within a collection that has been bringing Abruzzo's wine to tables around the globe for 40 years.”
This Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva stems from Montepulciano grapes cultivated in 250ha of vineyards that sprawl across the hills of Pescara and near the winery (above). These vines thrive on medium-textured clay soils, with southeastern and southwestern exposures. Nestled in one of Abruzzo's most esteemed winegrowing areas, these plots represent the company's earliest viticultural plantings.
The proximity to the Morrone, Maiella and Gran Sasso mountains ensures a natural barrier against excessive rainfall while moderating temperatures, resulting in a dry, well-ventilated mesoclimate characterised by significant diurnal temperature variation.
Federica Lauterio, the estate winemaker, remarks: “The vinification process behind Tralcetto Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva reflects our winemaking philosophy, focusing on producing wines renowned for their delightful flavour, impeccable balance and authentic expression of varietal characteristics.”
After the harvest, “meticulously selected” grapes are transported to the cellar and undergo gentle pressing. Fermentation at 24-25°C with submerged cap is for a minimum of 20 days. The wine is then racked to barriques for 18 months’ ageing and it undergoes an additional six months of ageing in bottle before release.
Last year, the winery also ventured into new territory with the launch of Tralcetto 0.0 Rosso and 0.0 Bianco, the first alcohol-free wines from Abruzzo.
This dealcoholized wine was obtained through distillation in a vacuum evaporator which extracts the alcohol by evaporation, followed by condensation. Initially, the wine is transferred from the storage tank to the vacuum evaporation column which contains a series of cones.
Distillation occurs in two steps: the aim of the initial step is to collect the aromas which are the first to evaporate due to their highly volatile nature. The aromas are condensed and collected for later use. The aim, in the second step, is to evaporate the ethanol. The temperature gradually increases by a few degrees as the wine rises up the column, thus allowing the actual dealcoholization to take place as the alcohol evaporates. At the end of the process, the aromas are returned to the dealcoholized wine.
The company says: “A first-class wine is needed to produce a first-class dealcoholized wine.”
Federica adds: “You have to start from the very good base wine for making this process.
The grapes used for the white wine are Moscato and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. For the red wine it’s Montepulciano and Nero d’Avola. “If you go with a low level of aromatic, you're going to lose everything,” Federica points out.
To compensate for the lack of alcohol and reduction in body, there is 32g/L of sugar in the white wine and 35 in the red. Some tannins are also added.
“To recreate something with balance is not an easy business,” Federica comments.
The wine was sent to Germany for the dealcoholization because the technology is more advanced there.
It’s on the Tralcetto range by Italian producer Zaccagnini, the Abruzzo winery acquired by the giant Argea Group in 2023.
The bottle decoration demonstrates the producer’s commitment to sharing “ancient charm, local lore and artistic legacies”, according to Zaccagnini. It also symbolises “the deep-rooted connection between wine and terroir”.
Giacomo Tarquini, group marketing director of Gruppo Argea, explains: “So the packaging – the stick – and the message behind the bottle create a sort of unique storytelling that talks about nature, human beings and culture.”
The one-bud sprigs are harvested from estate vineyards during the annual pruning and are meticulously hand-tied on every bottle by women from Bolognano, the town in Pescara where the winery was founded. The idea is to “infuse each bottle with the magic of ancient artisan craft”.
The company also maintains this emblematic gesture has placed Zaccagnini “as an ambassador for Abruzzo’s rich viticultural heritage and its finest wines”.
The Tralcetto line is a great example of what Zaccagnini is about. As founder Marcello Zaccagnini says: “Tralcetto is a daily reminder of who we are.”
The first vintage was in 1978. Traditionally, the line featured six labels that showcased the region’s grape varieties: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo and Pecorino. But, last year, it added three more wines.
One is destined to become the flagship of the line: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva. “Tralcetto Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva embodies our commitment to revitalise this distinctive Zaccagnini line,” Giacomo says. “With this new release, we stay true to the line’s stylistic signature while presenting one of the most exceptional interpretations of the DOC. It marks a significant step forward in both quality and positioning within a collection that has been bringing Abruzzo's wine to tables around the globe for 40 years.”
This Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva stems from Montepulciano grapes cultivated in 250ha of vineyards that sprawl across the hills of Pescara and near the winery (above). These vines thrive on medium-textured clay soils, with southeastern and southwestern exposures. Nestled in one of Abruzzo's most esteemed winegrowing areas, these plots represent the company's earliest viticultural plantings.
The proximity to the Morrone, Maiella and Gran Sasso mountains ensures a natural barrier against excessive rainfall while moderating temperatures, resulting in a dry, well-ventilated mesoclimate characterised by significant diurnal temperature variation.
Federica Lauterio, the estate winemaker, remarks: “The vinification process behind Tralcetto Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva reflects our winemaking philosophy, focusing on producing wines renowned for their delightful flavour, impeccable balance and authentic expression of varietal characteristics.”
After the harvest, “meticulously selected” grapes are transported to the cellar and undergo gentle pressing. Fermentation at 24-25°C with submerged cap is for a minimum of 20 days. The wine is then racked to barriques for 18 months’ ageing and it undergoes an additional six months of ageing in bottle before release.
0.0% launch
Last year, the winery also ventured into new territory with the launch of Tralcetto 0.0 Rosso and 0.0 Bianco, the first alcohol-free wines from Abruzzo.
This dealcoholized wine was obtained through distillation in a vacuum evaporator which extracts the alcohol by evaporation, followed by condensation. Initially, the wine is transferred from the storage tank to the vacuum evaporation column which contains a series of cones.
Distillation occurs in two steps: the aim of the initial step is to collect the aromas which are the first to evaporate due to their highly volatile nature. The aromas are condensed and collected for later use. The aim, in the second step, is to evaporate the ethanol. The temperature gradually increases by a few degrees as the wine rises up the column, thus allowing the actual dealcoholization to take place as the alcohol evaporates. At the end of the process, the aromas are returned to the dealcoholized wine.
The company says: “A first-class wine is needed to produce a first-class dealcoholized wine.”
Federica adds: “You have to start from the very good base wine for making this process.
The grapes used for the white wine are Moscato and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. For the red wine it’s Montepulciano and Nero d’Avola. “If you go with a low level of aromatic, you're going to lose everything,” Federica points out.
To compensate for the lack of alcohol and reduction in body, there is 32g/L of sugar in the white wine and 35 in the red. Some tannins are also added.
“To recreate something with balance is not an easy business,” Federica comments.
The wine was sent to Germany for the dealcoholization because the technology is more advanced there.
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