the less expensive Tiberio wines, around $25, are all excellent as well, dry, refreshing, clear and precise.

—Eric Asimov, NY Times

Tiberio is one of our very favorite producers of value-priced wines in Italy, yet looking through our archives we see that we have only written one article about them! It was an article that compared Tiberio’s Trebbiano to the heirloom tomato. We all know that watery and insipid industrial tomatoes have little to do with the glorious heirloom tomatoes you find at farmers markets. Well, supermarket Trebbianos are as watery and uninteresting as supermarket tomatoes. You need to reach the artisans to get the good stuff.

Tiberio makes the good stuff. Tiberio is a father, daughter and son team that got started in 2000 when they were excited to come across some very old vines of the heirloom Trebbiano variety known as Abruzzese, on fields high up above 1000 feet. They have been maintaining these old vines and planting new ones, using selection massale (that is, taking cuttings from the best of the old vines), ever since. The Trebbiano we offer today comes from a vineyard first planted in 1959, and is produced only from the free run juice that the grapes give before they are pressed — that is, the purest of the fruit.

But while our first newsletter story focused on this great Trebbiano, today we are able to offer a wider range of wines. So you get a bit of a tour of Abruzzese wine tradition (“Abruzzese” being both the name of the Trebbiano variety and the adjective for the region of Abruzzo).

There is the “other” indigenous white grape variety known as Pecorino. Unlike Trebbiano, Pecorino never went industrial – its yields are too low – and in fact it almost completely disappeared in the 1970s. It’s thanks to producers like Tiberio that we can taste this marvelous grape today – richer and more textured than the Trebbiano.

The Montepulciano is full, dark-fruited, a little spicy and very slightly wild. It’s from — again — heritage (non-clonal) versions of the grape from vineyards that go back over 60 years.

Abruzzo is also known for its distinctive darker rosé wine known as Cerasuolo (not to be confused with the Sicilian DOC), the only Italian rosé tradition that goes back generations. It’s also made 100% from heritage Montepulciano, but in a lighter, fresher style that is ideal for warm spring weather.

For wines of this quality, the prices are inexplicably low. When we have them in stock, they fly off the shelves and they never last long. For the moment, we have a bit more than is usually available and we’re pleased to offer these today:

Tiberio, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, 2023 $24.99

Tiberio, Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, 2023 $24.99

Tiberio, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, 2022 $24.99

Tiberio, Pecorino d'Abruzzo, 2022 $29.99

 

This story was originally featured in our newsletter, where it was offered at a special subscribers-only discount. Subscribers get special offers, the first look at new discoveries, invites to events, and stories about wines and the artisans that make them.