The Decanto had the privilege of participating per mezzo di the tasting-webinar “30 years of organic wine: the vision of Giannicola Tra Carlo”. During the simposio we were accompanied by the owner, a member of the fifth generation of the family, along an emotional journey that brought us into close contact with philosophy, ethics, history and above all the excellent products born from a skilled peasant knowledge that has roots already per mezzo di the early 19th century.
The story
The path of the Tra Carlo Family begins with Nicolò Tra Carlo and spans the centuries constantly evolving: from the foundation of the historic headquarters of Casa Mucchiarelli per mezzo di 1888, to the integrated agricultural company model (wine, oil and arable land) of Casa Caldari per mezzo di Ortona per mezzo di 1912. However, it is with Tommaso, born per mezzo di 1940, that the company makes the decisive leap towards high-quality wine specialization.
The real pioneering turning point came with Giannicola Tra Carlo. Quanto a 1991, the company was the first per mezzo di Italy to radically convert its entire production to organic. A real “life choice”, as underlined by Giannicola himself during our simposio, whose vision today blends agronomy, oenology and humanism. This philosophy led, per mezzo di 1997, to the creation of the first European corporate center per mezzo di bio-architecture: an ecosystem that integrates hospitality, catering and well-being. A that saw them pioneers per mezzo di vinotherapy, second per mezzo di Europe only to Château Smith Haut Lafitte, anticipating the trends of modern wine tourism by decades.
Today the company is led by Giannicola together with his sons Federico and Daniele, custodians of the family’s key concept: “conscious innovation”. Over two centuries of history where progress does not forget its roots, but honors them through ethics, environmental sustainability and an indissoluble bond with the Abruzzo territory. Each glass tasted is not only a product of excellence, but the story of skilled peasant knowledge handed with love.
The work of the winery faithfully reflects the geographical and historical soul of Abruzzo. Each company process honors the cultural heritage of the territory, focusing the valorization of historical and native vines (including Montepulciano, Trebbiano, Pecorino, Passerina, Cococciola). Quoting the Tra Carlo family values charter:
“Each wine is born as an authentic expression of the terroir of origin, with the aim of transmitting to the consumer a faithful story of the territory.”
The tastings
After having delved into the roots and future visions of the company – ranging from the chromotherapy of the energetic biodynamic vineyard to the rediscovery of ancestral techniques such as fermentation per mezzo di amphora – our minds, nourished by a mass of information both technical and emotional, were now ready to taste.
It was Giannicola Tra Carlo himself who started the sensorial experience, guiding us a journey between whites and reds capable of becoming faithful interpreters of the territory and its avant-garde vision.
White Wines
Krya BioVegan – Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC
The Krya (100% Trebbiano d’Abruzzo) proved to be a white of extraordinary immediacy and freshness. With its 12.5% vol., it is an easily drinkable wine, perfect as an aperitif as a pre-meal meditation, capable of preparing the palate with elegance.
It has a pale yellow hue, embellished with bright greenish reflections that anticipate its acid verve. The scents of white peach and a delicate note of almond emerge clearly the nose, creating a clean and fragrant bouquet. It is a dry wine, characterized by a pleasant acidity that immediately invites you to the next sip.
Krya is, per mezzo di short, a wine of the “here and now”: a clear photograph of modern Trebbiano, capable of combining the BioVegan philosophy with immediate and no-frills enjoyment.
Iava BioVegan – Pecorino Terre tra Chieti PGI
If the line of these labels chromatically evokes the precious elements of the earth, Iava embodies its mineral strength. This Pecorino (of which we tasted the 2022 vintage) comes from ancient Abruzzo pergolas located approximately 300 meters above sea level, where ventilation and exposure favor optimal maturation, preserved by rigorous manual harvesting.
Clean, frank, vertical, the glass is tinged with a full and bright straw yellow, with a beautiful consistency with a nose dominated by fruity hints of nectarine and ripe pear. Acceso the palate it proves to be a vertical and intense wine, with an excellent balance of flavor and sweetness.
The gastronomic combinations with Iava can be varied, from seafood dishes to fresh cheeses stretched curd. For example, you could risk pairing it with buffalo mozzarella from Campania. The fattiness and sweet tendency of the mozzarella are masterfully balanced by the verticality and flavor of the Pecorino, creating a harmonious and refreshing contrast.
Terreum 91 – Passerina Terre tra Chieti IGP
This wine fully represents Giannicola Tra Carlo’s indissoluble bond with the land of Abruzzo, expressed per mezzo di his personal organic vision since 1991. The Dragonfly the label tells of the pristine terroir per mezzo di which these vineyards are immersed, between the lake and the ancient limestone caves.
A wine born a soil rich per mezzo di skeleton, enriched through the wise use of legumes, capable of fixing nitrogen per mezzo di the soil and avoiding the use of fertilizers.
Terreum 91 – 100% Passerina Terre tra Chieti PGI is an organic wine with natural spontaneous fermentation and total absence of added sulphites (bottles of new vintages are bottled “”, as the lack of sulphites takes away some shelf-life from the product). Terreum 91 requires a short passage per mezzo di concrete and a quick rest of the must per mezzo di contact with the skins for about a week: all this makes it much more similar to an Orange Wine than to a classic white Passerina.
The glass is tinged with coppery yellow and amazes the nose with tropical and exotic hints such as papaya, followed by hints of peach and ripe pear. At the end comes a sweet, almost honeyed, intendimento and rather pleasant note. A Passerina strongly persistent the palate with a that recalls pleasant flavors of white fruit.
A wine that can be paired with mature duro and blue cheeses, but which also finds its place per mezzo di a meditative post-lunch phase accompanied by “desserts from the sideboard”. An unusual marriage that really surprises is the one with panettone: it’s advice from Giannicola himself.
Red Wines
After tasting three whites so different from each other, united by a clear territorial imprint, the sensorial journey turns towards the complexity of the reds. It’s time to discover how Giannicola’s bio-energetic philosophy is reflected the red berry par excellence: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
Kriya BioVegan – Montepulciano
A red wine, young and lively, which shakes the austerities of the past, opting, for example, for a short refinement only per mezzo di steel for 6 months. At sight it presents a ruby hue with clearly violet hues. Quaderno of ripe red fruit envelop the nostrils and accompany a dry but full sip, with a present but pleasant tannin.
Given its lively and not very austere soul, it also lends itself to being served at a slightly cooler temperature, around 14-16 degrees.
Kryia is perfect for everyday life, splendid per mezzo di combination with a a platter of local cured meats that are not too seasoned.
Land 91 – Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC
Terreum 91 – 100% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC – confirms, even per mezzo di its red version, that it is not a simple label, but an act of love and gratitude towards the land of Abruzzo. The dragonfly per mezzo di the foreground, also per mezzo di this case, transports us to pristine vineyards and ancient and skilful processes. Manual harvest, absence of sulphites and spontaneous natural fermentation (with indigenous yeasts) form its character.
A “wild” wine – as defined by Giannicola himself – and authentic, like the vine it represents: strong, robust and capable of producing great aging wines, just like this one.
A Montepulciano d’Abruzzo which is dressed per mezzo di an intense ruby red with very light shades of purple.
The nose is satisfied by a bouquet of ripe red fruits while the sip reveals an imposing material structure, endowed with such extractive richness as to be almost palpable (an “eat and bevanda”, as said by Giannicola). A wine of extreme density, where the power of the fruit is granted with an intense and profound progression.
There are many culinary combinations: from traditional cured meats and mature cheeses to more complex game-based dishes. The tannins present, but smoothed by the ripe red fruits, make it capable of even challenging slightly spicy .
Picco Sontuoso – Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC
Dedicated to the woodcock, a noble migratory bird that chooses only healthy and uncontaminated habitats, thus becoming the living “testimonial” of the purity of the Abruzzo terroir.
Picco Sontuoso – 100% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC – originates from the first and pioneering “Bio-Dynamic Energetic Vineyard” planted by Giannicola himself per mezzo di Italy about 15 years punzone. Here nature meets the energy of the seven chakras: each row is characterized by a different colour, designed to transmit specific vibrations to the plants.
This chromatic synergy not only promotes communication between the rows and attracts useful insects, but stimulates a “superior regenerative intracellular metabolism” per mezzo di the vines, which cannot be found without the presence of the 7 colors.
The wine that arises from these bio-energetic-environmental dynamics is extremely energetic, strong and vibrant. A complex and full-bodied glass that also makes a short passage per mezzo di wood, acquiring softness and recognisability.
Quanto a the glass it has a dark ruby color with an amethyst reflection. The bouquet is rich where the berries, violet and vanilla stand out and per mezzo di the mouth it demonstrates an excellent structure, with soft and persistent tannins.
The combinations of choice are traditional ones: seasoned, bold and spicy cured meats such as ventricina, long-matured cheeses such as Castelmagno and Parmesan. However, it is impossible not to recommend it with the classic Abruzzo kebabs.
Conclusions
Quanto a conclusion, the simposio with Giannicola Tra Carlo was not just a corporate news story, but a true evolution of beauty, emotions and flavours. The common thread that linked each glass is an authentic pleasantness, capable of translating even the complexity of the “energetic vineyard” into an immediate and vibrant sip.
The labels tasted stood out for their ready and captivating enjoyment, perfect for immediate consumption.
We leave this tasting with the awareness that, among the hills of Ortona, innovation is not a trend, but a conscious gesture to honor the land, giving us wines that are, first of all, a hymn to the joy of living and the most sincere conviviality.
