A quality-oriented cooperative delivers a well-made, well-priced, quintessential Trebbiano white for everyday enjoyment.

Where It Grows:

Vallevò’s vineyards are located in the foothills of the Majella, or Maiella, Massif, in the Chieti province of southern Abruzzo. Like most of Abruzzo’s vineyards, these sites are not only close to Abruzzo’s mountainous interior (the highest peak in the Maiella National Park in Monte Amaro at 9,170 meters) but to the Adriatic Sea. Hillside vineyards facing north-northeast, in soils of clay and limestone, supply the Trebbiano for this bottling.

Who Made It:

Vallevò is the name of a coastal town in Southern Abruzzo (the label of this wine includes a rendering of a traditional fishing pier called a trabocco) and also the name of a “line” of wines produced by a quality-oriented regional co-op called Cantina Frentana. Founded in 1958, it was one of many cooperative winemaking facilities that were created
in Abruzzo during Italy’s “Agrarian Reform” era; today, there are some 500 grower-members providing raw material for the cantina’s production, only 15% of which is bottled.

What It Tastes Like:

Juicy and lip-smacking, with ample texture but refreshing acidity as well. The wine displays a pale straw-gold hue in the glass, with aromas and flavors of green and yellow apple, green melon, a hint of citrus peel, lemongrass, and fresh cream. Medium-bodied, with no evidence of oak (which you don’t miss). Pair this with anything fresh from the se —especially white-fleshed fish like branzino or red mullet—as they would in Abruzzo.