Pecorino cheese, Passerina is Montepulciano d'Abruzzo they are the only vines allowed by the new one DOCG Tullum. Indigenous vines mostly cultivated in organic farming and with traditional pergola vineyards. The territory of the denomination includes one of the most fascinating provinces of the region, around the ancient towns of Tollo is Ortona, which faces the Adriatic Sea to the east, while to the west it is protected by the Majella massif. Therefore ideal conditions to produce great wines. Fresh and long-lived wines. A set of wines therefore very versatile to be consumed both during an aperitif in the vineyards, in the shade of the pergolas, and on the sea with fresh fish served in traditional trabocchi, ancient fishing machines still in use today, or even in the most renowned restaurant of the region The Real of Niko Romito.

Here the wine production certainly dates back to the Roman age, if not earlier. There are many testimonies scattered about the viticulture of the territory. Like the ancient rustic villa in San Pietro locality recently came to light right in the middle of the DOCG Tullum and that soon, once the excavation work will be completed, it will become the site of the Consorzio's winery, surrounded by a beautiful vineyard overlooking the sea.

Bike to Coast, ride through the vineyards and the sea in Abruzzo

Soon the longest will be completed bike lane of Europe. Bike to Coast will cover, by 2020, 150 km from Martinsicuro, in the province of Teramo a San Salvo, in the province of Chieti, along the tracks of the old railway route, including the evocative Costa dei Trabocchi between Pescara and Ortona already viable. The Trabocchi are old fishing machines still in use and mostly adapted to restaurants where to eat the best fish of the region. Tasty and traditional dishes, raw fish, irresistible peppered mussels, cuttlefish with red beans, etc. So it's not just refreshment points after long rides, but a real well-deserved prize. Stop for example at Mucchiola overflow, with breathtaking views, especially at sunset, do not even consult the menu, rely on the proposals of the day, but demand to accompany each course with Passerina and Pecorino di Tollo.

Archeo-Oenology

Pecorino and Passerina in the first place. The past and the present. In recent years, oenology and viticulture have made great strides not only in the most renowned Italian regions, but also here in Abruzzo. The Feudo Antico Consortium for example he carried out a serious mapping project of the territory, he found the most suitable lands for the cultivation of single vines, he identified vineyards to produce cru, he focused on a rigorous selection of grapes. Low yield, to get high quality. And longevity. And it's converting to biological much of the production. And is dedicating several vineyards to the recovery of ancient vines native. And he is working as well as in the vineyard according to innovative criteria, but that together restore the "flavor of history" in the glass. So every wine is like a journey through time.

New horizons in the vineyard and at the table with Niko Romito

The most innovative and experimental project here in Abruzzo could not fail to involve Niko Romito, Casadonna and the starred restaurant The Real of Castel di Sangro. Here, at over 850 meters above sea level, a very high quality Pecorino vineyard is planted in 2010. "The result struck us first, The chef confesses,« and the Pecorino corresponds very much to our cuisine, it is sapid, complex, vertical . And, indeed, the Pecorino IGP Terre Aquilane Feudo Antico it really has unique features. Like the dishes conceived by the tristellato chef, the result of an incessant search by the bread "down".

"Niko studies the subject at 360 ° and then decides how to make the dish. His sister Cristiana explains. "For example, the tortello with chicken, when he started to study it he didn't know that it would become a first course. He studied chicken meat thoroughly, in all its forms and its structural potential.

"The philosophy behind my dishes is the language consistency from beginning to end, the chef tells us, "The barbecued turbot, capers and gentian that you are eating has been treated almost like meat. Already from the cut and to the fact that in the center there is the bone. So it's like a steak with its bone and the structure is not the usual soft one of the rhombus. The meat of the fish rests in a mixture of water and salt for 24/36 h. and then the meat is treated with gentian, a very bitter Abruzzo root, so there is a series of ingredients including the caper and the salted lemon which gives it an incredible freshness. I think it's like eating a piece of meat. And it's perfect with the Pecorino di Casadonna.