Ciao Tutti!
This weekend at Piazza Italian Market, we will taste a new wine in our collection, the De Fermo Rosso 2023 ($28.99, 12.5% ABV) from the De Fermo winery in Loreto Aprutino in Abruzzo. This region’s geography is long and narrow and is located between the Adriatic Sea to the east and the snow- capped 10,000 foot high Gran Sasso, which is part of the Apennine range.
De Fermo is a story about wine but it began as a love story. Proprietors Stefano Papetti and Eloisa De Fermo met while studying law in Bologna. They discovered their mutual love of wine and Stefano was intrigued to learn that since the 18th century, Eloisa’s family had a large farm with a vineyard, but the grapes were only sold to cooperatives. From a very young age, Stefano had been intrigued by the aroma of wine. He even bought bottles of wine to smell the wine’s aroma so he could better understand what he was reading in his mother’s cookbooks!
Stefano’s first visit to Eloisa family farm was in 2007 and soon he was visiting the farm on weekends, which led to their courtship and marriage. The couple abandoned their law studies to become winemakers at the family estate. Stefano found a long abandoned winery, dating from 1785, on the grounds that was buried under the family’s house. Stefano began restoration of the winery and then began making wine. The couple took over the farm management in 2009 and launched their first vintage in 2010.
From the beginning, Stefano and Eloisa banned chemicals from their vineyard, adopted biodynamics in 2008 and became certified a few years later. In addition to the 17 hectares of grape vines, the 420 acre diversified estate includes 20 hectares of olive trees, and parcels of herbs, legumes and grazing land for the cows. De Fermo is now among Italy’s largest biodynamic estates. They neither use nor add yeasts and they don’t control fermentation temperatures. They also do not fine and/or filter their wines.
“De Fermo” translates as “ from a standstill” and is an apt name for the winery’s trajectory from a source of bulk wine to its reputation today as one of the finest sources of Abruzzo wine. This highest level of quality soon captured the attention of the legendary wine importer Neal Rosenthal. He had been searching for years for a producer partner in the special Abruzzo terroir and he welcomed Stefano and Eloisa to his family of growers.
De Fermo’s Vino Rosso is 100% Montepulciano grape and is aged in concrete for 12 months, with aromatics of wild strawberries and dark cherries, juicy and fresh with smooth tannins-enjoy it slightly chilled for its maximum effect.
Come join me Friday from noon to 5:45 or Saturday from noon to 4:45 to taste this popular grape.
Cin Cin!
Jenn
Piazza Italian Market is located in the Talbot Town shopping center at 218 N. Washington St., suite 23, in Easton, MD
Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.
