AZIENDA AGRICOLA BARONE CORNACCHIA
(Winery in Montepulciano d'Abruzzo)

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About Winery and Wines

The commercial farm ‘Azienda Agricola Barone Cornacchia’ is among the oldest wineries in the province of Teramo. The land tenure was established at the end of the 16th century by the feudal concession of the viceroy of Naples and with the appointment of a barony title. At that time the Baroni Cornacchia family dwelt in the Fortress of Civitella and controlled the fiefs situated on the north-eastern border of the Bourbon kingdom. At the end of the 19th century, with the Unification of Italy and after a long period of battles, the Cornacchia family had to leave the Fortress of Civitella and retreated to the hunting reserve where the present company is located. This area has always had a vocation for viticulture and grapevine has always been cultivated. Barone Filippo Maria Vizzarro Cornacchia (1872-1944) restored and handed down this old viticultural tradition. After the devastating infestation of phylloxera that spread all over Italy at the beginning of the 20th century, Barone Filippo Vizzarro Cornacchia selected the ancient clones to replant and graft all vineyards using American rootstocks. At the beginning of the 20th century, he started to produce ‘Montepulciano d’Abruzzo’ wine and used it to participate in national competitions, receiving the first official awards [ 1932 – 1933 ]. Today the company is led by Filippo and Caterina Cornacchia who have been able to achieve the organic certification of the company and of the products and to introduce new wines such as the ‘Controguerra DOC Passerina Villa Torri’, the ‘Pecorino Villa Torri IGT Colli Aprutini’ as well as the ‘Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane DOCG Vizzarro’ (devoted to the founder of the company: Barone Filippo Maria Vizzarro Cornacchia). This wine was awarded a Gold Medal at the International Oenological Competition ‘Vinitaly’, in 2007.

Organic farming is a production method that respects human and animal welfare and protects the environmental and cultural biodiversity of the territories: it’s a sustainable development model conceived to defend the environment and the territory and to value the quality of the resources of local communities, helping them to face global competition. In 2012 the European Union Regulation on organic wine production and its labeling with the new EU organic logo was approved, as it had already been approved for other organic products. From August 1 2012 winemakers can label their wines as “organic” using the EU organic logo. This way, the productive process of getting ‘organic wine’ has finally been regulated. The Regulation on organic wine production and labeling establishes the permitted oenological practices, identifies the use of some products and substances permitted for organic wine production, and clarifies that organic wine can only be produced with organic grapes. To produce its wines, the commercial farm ‘Azienda Agricola Barone Cornacchia’ has always only used organic grapes grown on the family lands. All the family members have always and passionately taken care of their lands, firmly determined to respect the soil, its fruits, and its unique features. The conversion of the company to organic farming has therefore been extremely natural. All the products (wines, oils, arable crops) are certified organic.

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Wineries to visit in Montepulciano d'Abruzzo