It has not been difficult for us to continue in the furrow already traced by my family: although we have brought in new technologies, the character and identity of our wines remains traditional. The white soils and good exposures give us good body and longevity, while the altitude ensures intense aromas and freshness on the palate.
The teachings received from my grandfather and father of honesty, dedication to the land, great peasant pride and trust in the hillside that has been our home for generations have been the founding values around which the Anna Maria Abbona winery was born and continues to grow.
Wines are always born from the best land that can convey the character and qualities we would like in the wine. we are first imagining it: for us, elegance and freshness are top priorities.
The winery’s philosophy focuses on wines with a strong personality and specific identity, which stems from the connection of an indigenous grape variety and its land of choice, made from 100% single-varietal grapes. The choice of white limestone soils and altitudes above 500 meters are in function of wines with good freshness and drinkability. The altitude also ensures constant ventilation, which reduces attacks of fungal diseases ensuring healthier grapes. Finally, the temperature range results in the production of thicker skins: more resistant and with greater concentration of aroma, color and tannin.
The Moncucco winery has grown with us.
We began the first winemaking in the small basement cellar of the 1850 house where I was born: this is where my father already made wine for himself and a few friends.
In 1994 the first expansion, with a wing adjacent to the old cellar. We exploited the space next to the old house, building the new cellar with barrel vaults made of old bricks, semi-buried.
In 2001, with the planting of new varieties and an increase in the number of bottles produced, it became necessary to build a new cellar, which would meet the needs of the time.
In the new building found place in addition to the cellar for winemaking and aging, a warehouse for bottle aging and a tasting room for visitors. Outdoor terraces and stone walls completed the structure. The 1994 cellar has since been designated for wooden barrels.
The Bricco San Pietro farmhouse was purchased at different times; at the time it had been divided into three properties.
Renovation began in 2017, trying to maintain the salient features of the house: a first core from the mid-19th century to which a second part had been added in the early 1900s.
Half of the farmhouse on the ground floor was already used as a cellar, the other half and the upper floor were intended for living quarters. In the present arrangement the old cellars, a tasting room and some accommodation for visitors have regained their function.
The truth is simple: we must not invent it, but recognize it.
In a world that is increasingly complex, technological, demanding as much as it is vulnerable, we understood that we needed to return to the essentials, to focus on a production style marked by rigor, consistency and sobriety. A path that proceeds from choice to choice, from the soil naturally suited to a type of crop, to the management of water and production waste, to grassing and work in the cellar, where we do not use great technology and few sulfites. It is important to have quality grapes and focus on respecting terroir and vintage.
Simplicity is a lifestyle choice, even a professional one: it has to be the point of arrival, not of departure. That is the difference between simplicity and banality.