What can be said about Masciarelli that hasn’t already been said? Starting with a mere two hectares, in 20 years Gianni Masciarelli built a winery with over 430 hectares, of which 380 are planted with vines. Headstrong and tenacious, his mission was never limited to his own wines, rather he wanted to prove to the world that the Abruzzo region was capable of producing world class wine. While he was a visionary, he was an equally great winemaker. Unfortunately, he left us suddenly and too early in 2008, but the estate continues to prosper. Led by his wife, Marina Cvetic, and an exceptional team of grape growers and winemakers, they continue Gianni’s work and dreams of showing the world the incredible potential of the Abruzzo.

Masciarelli wines have been such a success due to their combination of quality, value, and most importantly, the sheer pleasure they are to drink. The wines are textured, rich but never sacrifice drinkability. The domain is anchored in tradition, as both Abbruzo grape varieties, trebbiano and montepulciano, remain the central focus. But they also produce a range of white and red wines made with international grapes: merlot, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay. Why? To prove that the Abruzzo terroir is capable of producing excellent wines that have an international reference.

The heart of the estate’s production is the “classic” Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, a wine which has taken the SAQ by storm. The second tier are the “Marine Cvetic” bottlings, which are aged in new French barriques. The top wines of the Masciarelli portfolio are the “Villa Gemma” cuvées. While the word iconic is oft’ overused in today’s wine world, they are proof that Gianni’s unending faith in the Abruzzo’s capacity to produce exceptional wines was warranted.