Emidio Pepe

History of Domaine Emidio Pepe

The Pepe family has grown vines on the hills of Torano Nuovo since the late 19th century. Emidio, the grandfather, found an ideal home there for trebbiano and montepulciano. His son Giuseppe then became known in the 1940s for the quality of the wine he sold in bulk. In 1964, the young Emidio Pepe made a decision that was revolutionary for the region at the time: to bottle his own wine, convinced that Abruzzo’s winemaking heritage deserved better than anonymity in merchants’ tanks.

A pioneer, he was among the first to show that Montepulciano and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo could age and improve for decades. His estate became a global benchmark, mentioned alongside Valentini as a standard-bearer for Abruzzo. Emidio Pepe died on July 28, 2026, at the age of 94, after more than sixty harvests. His family carries on his legacy, notably his daughter Sofia and granddaughter Chiara De Iulis Pepe, who faithfully uphold his philosophy.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Domaine Emidio Pepe

The estate owns around 15 hectares of vineyards in a spectacular setting between the Adriatic Sea, just a few miles away, and the Gran Sasso massif rising behind them. Clay-limestone soils and a breezy microclimate, marked by pronounced temperature differences between day and night, provide ideal conditions for ripening grapes while preserving their valuable freshness.

The vines are farmed according to organic and biodynamic principles, adopted long before these practices became fashionable. Some historic parcels, such as the Casa Pepe vineyard, planted with montepulciano and trained on pergolas, were grafted in place by Emidio Pepe himself in the 1960s. The Donatella trebbiano vineyard, planted in 1988, supplies the age-worthy wines and serves as a source for massal selections. The estate also cultivates a parcel of pecorino, a local white grape variety brought back into favor.

Winemaking at Domaine Emidio Pepe

Winemaking at Emidio Pepe is a meticulous craft. The grapes are harvested by hand: montepulciano clusters are traditionally destemmed by hand, while trebbiano is foot-trodden. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with native yeasts. The wine is then pressed in a vertical press and aged in glass-lined concrete tanks, which the estate began using in 1964. No wooden barrels are used, allowing the fruit and terroir to speak for themselves without embellishment.

The estate’s true signature is time. True to Emidio Pepe’s maxim that the bottle is wine’s home, the wines age for extended periods in the estate’s cellars before release. Older vintages are even hand-decanted into new bottles before shipping to remove natural sediment. Wines from the oldest vines are released later and have recently begun to bear the designation Selezione Vecchie Vigne.

The Wines of Domaine Emidio Pepe

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo: the estate’s signature wine, made from hand-destemmed montepulciano, fermented naturally and then aged in glass-lined concrete. Deep, earthy and remarkably long-lived, it develops striking complexity with age, combining dark fruit, spices and undergrowth notes. The version from younger vines is released about three years after the harvest.

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Selezione Vecchie Vigne: sourced from the estate’s oldest vines, this selection is released much later, at least five years after the vintage. More concentrated and structured, it is one of Italy’s great age-worthy wines, prized by collectors.

Trebbiano d'Abruzzo: a great age-worthy white, made from foot-trodden grapes and vinified in concrete. Far from the region’s light trebbianos, it offers a generous palate, notes of yellow fruit, flowers and honey, and a mineral tension that allows it to age for decades.

Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Selezione Vecchie Vigne: made from old trebbiano vines, notably in parcels such as Donatella, and released after longer aging. It gains depth, texture and aromatic complexity.

Pecorino: made from this native white grape of Abruzzo, this wine charms with its freshness, liveliness and aromas of herbs and citrus. Like the estate’s other whites, it is never decanted and shows excellent potential to develop with age.

Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo: a characterful rosé made from montepulciano, with the deep cherry-colored hue that gives it its name. Vinous, fresh and flavorful, it offers far more depth than a typical rosé and pairs readily with all kinds of Italian cuisine.