Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC 2024: Italian Rosé Reviewed

Not Provence pink, not a New World fruit bomb. La Valentina’s Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC 2024 sets out a different stall straight away: cherry-pink with an orange edge, a nose that brings strawberry and raspberry alongside pine cone and rosemary. Rosé with intent.

What sets a Cerasuolo apart

Cerasuolo means cherry-red. This is not a saignée by-product of a red wine but a purposeful style: 100% Montepulciano, eighteen hours of skin contact, then drained and fermented cold in stainless steel. Long enough to pull colour, fruit and a hint of tannin; too short to make a red.

The result sits between white and red. Structure for the table, freshness for the terrace.

In the glass

The nose opens on cherry, strawberry and raspberry, then turns to grapefruit pith, orange zest and that unexpected mix of pine cone and rosemary. Spicy without ever tipping into harsh. On the palate it stays elegant, carried by fine acidity and a subtle bitter twist. Nothing sharp here, just the pleasant grapefruit bitterness that pulls the finish out. The mouthfeel reads pure, with no weight pushing against you.

Vineyard and cellar

• 30 hectares organic (ICEA), three districts
• Vines aged 26 to 39 years, 150 to 300 m altitude
• Hand-harvest 20 September – 4 October
• 18-hour skin contact, fermentation and ageing on stainless steel
• Bottling from January, 38,000 bottles a year

At the table

• Aperitivo, on its own
• Grilled fish, seafood pasta, cacciucco
• Roast chicken, tandoori, duck à l’orange
• Lighter summer plates that Provence rosé cannot weight-match

The grapefruit bitter cuts richer dishes; the fruit core lifts lighter ones.

Practical

Cerasuolo lands in the €10–15 bracket in Italy and is looking for Dutch distribution. For anyone willing to look beyond “happy pink”, this is the invitation.

Sources

• Consorzio Tutela Vini d’Abruzzo: vinidabruzzo.it