Vallevo Trabocchi Rosato 23

We taste a lot of Rosé at the shop to preview and curate the selections for our customers. Roughly one out of thirty or forty reaches our quality standard and makes it past us to the shelves. The most challenging of these wines to preview are those that fall into the best-buy category, and the hunt goes on perpetually for these elusive bargain-priced treasures.

 

It's always a great day when we discover one of these hidden gems, and it's even more gratifying when that find is reasonably priced. The 2020 Vallevo Rosé is indeed one of these rare finds, and you won't believe the pure drinking pleasure and overall quality of this wine at such a low price!

The Terre di Chieti IGT is nestled in the foothills of central Italy's Abruzzo region. Montepulciano is the region's notable and ubiquitous red; however, white wine makes up more than 60% of its entire production -- Pecorino, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio are the main white grapes with smaller amounts of Moscato and Cococciala.

 

The region's recorded history dates back to Roman times and notes that the region's ports were often used by the Roman merchant ships making connections throughout the Adriatic. Many of these ports are still in use today.

An old Trabocchi fishing "machine" typical of the Chieti coast in the Abruzzo region

The coastline known as the 'Costa dei Trabocchi' features many "Trabocchi" -- dwellings that once allowed fishermen to fish in bad weather effectively. These wooden structures acted both as shelter and also as fishing "machines," extending out in the water on long wooden legs using long poles and systems of nets to reach passing schools of fish.

Vinyards at the Vallevo Co-Op

Vallevò is a well-regarded co-operative winery in this region, located close to the village of Chieti. During the last forty years, they have grown to more than 500 members with close to 2,000 acres of vineyards. The coop produces a large variety and volume of wine; however, only 10-15% of their wines are bottled, the rest is sold in bulk - we're told, to some famous producers that would prefer not to be named! Fruit for the bottled wine is sourced from the coop's top one hundred family producers and is consistently the best fruit available in the region.

In the glass, the first thing you'll notice is the wonderfully vibrant red berry and melon aromas virtually leaping from the glass. The fresh and lifted palate has broad richness yet retains a pleasing amount of acidity that keeps the wine lively. There's a nice touch of minerals and salinity on the palate that lingers in the long finish of melon and red berry fruit.

 

This pink thirst-quencher is super versatile and will shine with all of the classic Rosé pairings. We especially love it with spicy Cajun, Paella, and other saffron-infused dishes, grilled salmon and tuna, shrimp and grits, and of course, any ham preparations. For a real treat, serve this with one of the Abruzzo region's favorite dishes: herb and tomato baked fish -- cod, halibut, or even salmon would be fantastic.

 

Once again, I was blown away at the level of quality this coop offers for such a low price. Much like their terrific unoaked Chardonnay, the Vallevo Rosé is an honest, superbly made wine available at an unbeatable price.