Wines made from Grillo grapes of Abruzzes
Discover the best wines made with Grillo as a single variety or as a blend of Abruzzes.
A very ancient grape variety still grown today in western Sicily. Very often associated with catarratto and inzolia, it produces the famous Marsala liqueur wine. It is also increasingly being vinified as a single variety and produces excellent dry wines full of freshness and fruitiness. Grillo is believed to be the result of an intra-fertile cross between catarratto and Muscat of Alexandria or zibibbo, obtained in 1869 by Antonino Mendola. It is represented by two biotypes that can be easily recognized, but it seems that winegrowers attach little importance to them. Little known in other Italian regions - in Liguria it is known as "rossese bianco" - it can also be found in Australia and South Africa. It is not widely grown in France, although it is interesting because of its ability to withstand hot climates and drought, and to ripen quite late.
Abruzzo is an Italian wine region located on the eastern (Adriatic) coast. Its immediate neighbors in CentralItaly are Marche to the North, Lazio to the west and southwest and Molise to the southeast. Abruzzo has one DOCG - Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane - and three DOC wine appellations. The reds and Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, as well as the white wine appellation Trebbiano d'Abruzzo are the most notable, followed by the lesser-known Controguerra.