Travel east out of Rome, over the grandeur of the Apennine mountains, and once you start to descend on the other side, you will find yourself in the tranquil majesty of Abruzzo.
The terrain moves from imposing peaks to rolling foothills and then gentle slopes as you approach the shimmering Adriatic sea. Here, centring on the small town of Tollo in the province of Chieti, is one of the smallest and newest DOCGs in Italy: Tullum DOCG.
As its name suggests, the area has been making wine for thousands of years – and right at the heart of its modern viticultural scene is Cantina Tollo.
Scroll down for the tasting notes and scores of
DWWA medal-winning Cantina Tollo and Feudo Antico wines
A sense of place
This historic cooperative started in the 1960s, when a group of growers banded together to share their vinegrowing and winemaking experience, and has found huge success in the decades since.
Cantina Tollo now has 620 members; its vineyards cover 2,500 hectares, stretching from the coastal hills to the towering Maiella mountain; and its wines are enjoyed from east Asia to North America. In 2024 it was voted ‘Best Italian Cooperative’ for the sixth successive year at the Berliner Wein Trophy.
It’s not just about business success though. Cantina Tollo has been heavily involved in organic viticulture since the 1980s – long before low-intervention grape-growing became fashionable. The business gained Equalitas sustainability certification in 2022.
Cantina Tollo’s vineyards on the shores of the Adriatic
2000 years of wine heritage
As well as the Cantina Tollo label, the cooperative produces wines under three other ranges: Borgovenna offers great value entry-level wines; Auramadre is its range of fully organic multi-regional wines; and at the top of the tree, producing wines solely in the Tullum DOCG, sits Feudo Antico.
The name means ‘ancient fiefdom’, and it is an appropriate one, reflecting both its history and its sense of place. Indeed, during the replanting of one of the Feudo Antico vineyards, the remains of a 2000-year-old Roman villa were uncovered.
In fact, the work carried out by the cooperative’s growers – sub-dividing their vineyards into different plots, according to soil, micro-climate and rootstock – formed the basis of the denomination’s 18 hectares being upgraded to DOCG status in 2019.
Grapes are hand-harvested from vines trained in the Abruzzo pergola
The home of the Pecorino variety
Pecorino is a key variety – vines are trained high in the famous Abruzzo pergola, which helps to shade the grapes in warmer years. This distinctive technique combines with cooling influences from the sea to the east and mountains to the west to give Tollo Pecorino a fresh minerality, alongside flavours of white flowers, white peach and almond.
It’s a style of wine that’s perfect for modern palates, but also timeless. At the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards, the Feudo Antico Pecorino Tullum 2021 impressed the judges, and was awarded a Gold medal.
Cantina Tollo’s Mo Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva DOC
Exploring the Adriatic coast
Wine lovers with a thirst for travel can visit this bijou appellation for themselves. The Feudo Antico winery itself makes for the perfect base, offering stylish accommodation only three miles from the picturesque Trabocchi Coast, with its scenic ‘Via Verde’ cycling and hiking routes.
After a day’s exploring, guests can return to the winery for a sauna overlooking the vineyards – accompanied by a chilled glass of Pecorino, of course!
Award-winning wines from Cantina Tollo and Feudo Antico
Cantina Tollo, Cagiòlo, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva DOC 2019
90pts, Silver
100% Montepulciano. Very appealing nose: lots of new wood, rich, dark cherries and rustic herbs. Rich and concentrated, inky palate, with dark red and black cherry, chocolate and spice. A very enjoyable wine!
Alc 14.5%
Cantina Tollo, Mo, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva DOC 2019
89pts, Bronze
100% Montepulciano. Dark cherry, herbs and beeswax on the nose, with an inky palate, development and hints of oak, with firm tannins and a slightly bitter finish.
Alc 13.5%
Cantina Tollo, Orapiena, Montepulciano D’Abruzzo Riserva DOC 2020
88pts, Bronze
100% Montepulciano. Dark berry and cherry fruit, with leafy and earthy notes, vanilla and oak. Well-integrated tannins, with a long, soft finish.
Alc 13.5%
Feudo Antico, Pecorino, Tullum DOCG 2021
95pts, Gold
100% Pecorino. Serious and contemplative, radiating grilled lemon, toasted bread and oyster shell minerality. On the palate it is beautifully sapid and savoury, with a creamy texture and lingering finish.
Alc 13.5%
Feudo Antico, Biologico Spontaneous Fermentation Pecorino, Tullum DOCG 2022
87pts, Bronze
100% Pecorino. Slightly developed palate, with hints of pears, apples, citrus and stone fruit. Rich, developed and complex palate, with a sapid, long finish.
Alc 13.5%
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Cantina Tollo and Feudo Antico
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