FARAONE VINI

Located on the coast of Abruzzo, north of Pescara in the province of Teramo, in Colleranesco near the (shellfishing) port of Giulianova, the Faraone family produce classic Abruzzo wines from circa 12ha.

The family property is focused around one valley that runs perpendicular to the Adriatic coast & two vineyards, ‘Convento’ & ‘Collepietro’ in the comune of Mosciano Sant’Angelo, part of the Colli Aprutini zone. ‘Convento’ with pergola/tendone Montepulciano vines – planted with the R7 clone – while ‘Collepietro’, bought by padre Giovanni in 2000, is made up of filari/rows. They have been organic since 2015. They do not fertilize nor irrigate unless absolutely necessary.

The family Faraone’s story dates back to 1916, & particularly to the 1930s when the family first planted Montepulciano, Sangiovese & Passerina – a variety locally known as ‘Trebbiano Teramano’. Bottling started in 1970 with the family’s first bottle of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, & then in 1972 with Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. Giovanni “Nino” Faraone, padre of Federico the current titolare & his brother Alfonso, was inspired by his honeymoon to Champagne with his wife Paola that in 1979 he began producing metodo classico from Passerina grapes, before receiving official authorization in 1983.

Son Federico studied enologia in Friuli Venezia Giulia, before working in France, New Zealand, & Umbria, joining his father in 2014, then in 2017 as a partner, before the premature scomparso of Giovanni in 2019. Since 2020 Federico has been working hard to produce wines that display more fruit, definition & distinction, while producing more Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo to meet demand, drawing on the quality of the local, tendone-trellised Montepulciano fruit, & for which the family’s pale campari-red Cerasuolo style has become a point of reference for all Cerasuolo producers.

They also make a late release Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane DOCG (since 2003) from Collepietro (filari) fruit that ages for 48 months in 35HL recently regenerated botti grande.

And of course there’s the Dosaggio Zero Metodo Classico Spumante from Passerina, & now a Rosé Spumante made from Sangiovese.