2023 Emidio Pepe Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo
Far from a standard rosé, Pepe’s Cerasuolo is a wine of serious intent and gastronomic versatility. Pouring a brilliant, translucent
Producer
Emidio Pepe
I have reviewed three wines from Emidio Pepe, from the 2023 to 2024 vintages, across Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo. Most are Montepulciano. Scores range from 95 to 96, averaging 96; the highest is the 2023 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (96 points). Emidio Pepe also features in one journal article on this site.
Emidio Pepe founded his estate at Torano Nuovo, in the Colline Teramane of northern Abruzzo, in 1964, when most of the region’s Montepulciano and Trebbiano was sold in bulk. He saw native grapes with an untapped capacity to age for decades, and spent six decades proving it. He died on 28 July 2026, aged 94; his granddaughters Chiara and Elisa lead the estate with the same dedication.
Long before it was fashionable, he farmed without synthetic chemicals, and the estate is biodynamic. The methods remain those of a working museum of pre-industrial winemaking: white grapes are crushed by foot, red grapes are destemmed by hand over wooden grates, and fermentations are spontaneous in glass-lined concrete, with no new oak, no filtering and no fining. Wines rest in bottle for years, and older vintages are hand-decanted off their sediment and re-corked before release.
The Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is the crown jewel, balancing untamed power with finesse — dark cherry, dried herbs, leather and turned earth on tight, traditional tannins, a wine built for the next generation. The Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, so often dismissed elsewhere, becomes profound and age-worthy, with almond, chamomile and chalky minerality, and the Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is a wine of serious intent, with the acidity of a white and the grip of a light red.
2023 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
The estate’s crown jewel. Hand-destemmed over wooden grates to preserve the absolute integrity of every berry, the 2023 Montepulciano balances
2024 Emidio Pepe Trebbiano d’Abruzzo
Foot-trodden and fermented entirely in glass-lined concrete, the 2024 Trebbiano is a masterclass in tension and texture. Expect a vibrant,
Emidio Pepe: The Alchemist of Abruzzo
In Memoriam: Emidio Pepe The Italian wine world recently lost one of its most uncompromising and visionary figures. On July