Terre di Civita

Terre di Civita is a family estate of just 2.7 hectares at Contrada Civita, in Pollutri, in the province of Chieti. The vineyard lies around ten kilometres inland from the Adriatic coast of Abruzzo, and the family have farmed grapes here since the early 1960s.

For most of that time the fruit went to others. In 2022 the estate began a new chapter under owner Francesco di Fonzo, bottling a small quantity of its own Montepulciano d'Abruzzo for the first time. That first vintage ran to fewer than 1,200 bottles. A Pecorino followed, also made in tiny volumes.

The vineyard faces north, at roughly 165 to 180 metres, on calcareous, stony soils. In a region as warm as Abruzzo that cooler aspect matters: the grapes ripen slowly and keep their freshness and natural acidity even in hot years. The vines are trained on the traditional Pergola Trentina, whose canopy shades the fruit through the hottest weeks of summer.

Farming is deliberately light-handed, with chemicals kept to a minimum and intervention only when the vines need it. Every bunch is picked by hand and only the healthiest fruit is selected in the vineyard. The wines are fermented in stainless steel with no oak, so the fruit and the place speak plainly. The family also produce extra virgin olive oil from the same land.