Orefice translates as goldsmith. It’s also the name given to a house
established by five friends from winemaking families, who see the indigenous grapes of Abruzzo
as gold to be sculpted and guided into artwork in the bottle. Their independent vision has seen
them establish their winegrowing operation in the low hills set back from the Adriatic Sea, at
around 300m altitude – a sweet spot where they find the warm sunny days of the region are
tempered by cool breezes from both the sea and the higher hills behind them.
Giuseppe, Mirko, Emore, Maurizio and Francesco grow Montepulciano, Trebbiano, Pecorino
and Cococciola along with some sympathetic grapes from neighbouring regions. They work to
conserve freshness and acidity in this warm region, allowing the production of high quality, fruit
forward wines with excellent structure.

Cococciola (ko-ko-choh-la) is a
rare indigenous grape of Abruzzo,
with less than 1000 hectares of
the variety planted worldwide. It’s
known for its pronounced acidity
and herbaceous characters (a
little like Sauvignon Blanc) and
so is usually blended in small
ratios with Trebbiano to give it
brightness and lift. Here however
we see the roles reversed, with
just 10% Trebbiano added to 90%
Cococciola, a wine simply made
with stainless steel fermentation.
This is lifted and fragrant with
floral and citrus aromas and
hints of hay and mountain herbs.
On the palate it’s incredibly
bright and fresh – the citrus
and herbaceous notes joining
minerality and savoury almond on
the finish. Cococciola is Abruzzo’s
seafood grape, the perfect
accompaniment to spaghetti
alle vongole, mussels, baccala,
oysters and more, but you can
also partner this with fresh young
cheeses and summer salads.

$35.50,

Orefice Vini Cococciola Terre di Chieti IGT 2024 x 12