Cantine Aperte 2009 – Wine Producers Open Their Doors

On 30th and 31st May 2009 (Saturday and Sunday) many of the wine producers of Abruzzo open their doors and allow the general public to come visit. Apart from the tastings, and organised tours, the very hospitable hosts often have food available and bands providing musical entertainment.

Considering it is at the end of May the weather is likely to be warm (maybe even hot) and sunny. It certainly was last year. If I remember rightly, I visited the following producers:

I was very lucky to be in the company of a very understanding designated driver so I was able to sample many of the wines from most of these wineries.

On the day I visited I think the Azienda Agricola Contesa offered the most in terms of hospitality. Here are a few pictures taken there. The scenery is stunning and as you can see, there was still snow on the mountains.

There was quite a variety of food on offer and a small band played the afternoon away. I went away with a nice bottle of the Contesa Pecorino, very pleasant indeed.

I’d also like to make a special mention for the Bosco Nestore cantina. It also had a band and food but the highlight for me was the wine itself. It was the first, and so far only time I have tasted their Pan range of wines and the Montepulciano was scrummy.

The details for the wineries that participate in this weekend are available here. All these details and a very useful map, are also available on a flyer which can be picked up at local tourist offices. Here is a scanned version of the leaflet.