An Ancient wine

This is why the title of this article might seem exaggerated, but it isn’t, because the search for the ancient Abbuoto’s vines has something similar to the stories of Sherlock Holmes. The only difference is the landscapes with sunny, rolling hills and fields of southern Latium rather then the English or Highlands countryside.

               Wines in a cellar

All begun about three years ago’, when my friend Salvatore* a wine producer form Fondi spoke about its few remaining Abbuoto vines (used to make the rare Cecubo), literally disappeared everywhere and treated almost as precious antiques by wine connoisseurs. This ancient vine was not new to me, but Salvatore’s detailed description and knowledge of the qualities of the wine obtained by this grape were a stimulating point of start for my willingness to discover more about the few ancient vines left to produce the direct descendent of the famous Cecubo. We fixed an appointment to show me where in Fondi’s countryside he found several vineyards with surviving Abbouto’s vines.

Leaving Terracina and traveling toward Fondi after having walked for about four miles between the skirts of Monte Giusto and the river Canneto one arrives close to one of the shores of Fondi’s Lake. All the lowlands around the lake were infected with deadly malaria and were avoided for centuries by those travelers, who from the southern Lazio, ventured as far as the coasts of northern Campania. Yet this same territory was famous in the Roman era for its fertility, which, though of swampy nature, yelded the renowned wine, the Caecubum. Here too, near the Lake of Fondi, is said to have flourished the mysterious ancient city of Amyclae, whose disappearance after many historical citations, gave rise to the strangest and most incredible versions.

“During last few years winter pruning several remaining Abbouto-branches still able to offshoot were collected in several areas around the town of Fondi, like San Raffaele for example. From these (almost leftovers!) we gained some vital scion parts for grafting” says Salvatore excited. The pruning was done to some old, neglected vines having all dead, diseased and damaged wood removed in early winter to save few still able to produce a good offshoots. The most important reason for grafting is to propagate the few Abbuoto hybrid plants which preserve the characteristics to make the rare Cecubo. In this way now Salvatore has a small vineyard of Abbuoto vines in the area of Grunuovo close to San Cosma e Damiano, which according to him “deserves to be studied and expanded.” This is a good way to follow for retrieving and saving one of the recorded noblest and one of the most recorded ancient wines in Europe’s history of wine-making.

Few small entrepreneurs with passion are trying ways to rescue and facilitate the comeback of those defined as the autochthons, the ancient local varieties, which some see as among the few real valid alternatives to the invasion of wines from the New World. At the end of our visit around the beautiful and precious Abbuoto’s vineyards Salvatore said proudly: “Our vine variety is very ancient, and from its grapes was said to be produced the famous Caecubum celebrated by Horace. The remaing Abbuoto vineyards are all scattered here and there, hidden in the countryside in the area of Fondi and Terra di Lavoro” (further south from here in northern Campania). This ancient variety prefers cultivation methods with short pruning, the Guyot system is perfect, it shoots early, before time and for this reason is often at risk of frosty spring days.

When you open a bottle, well over 2000 years of history seem to floating with the unique aroma. This is thanks to barrel of Allier oak says some connoisseurs. The impact with the sense of smell is quite unique, with a strong prevailing winy note, of considerable body (it inspire a feeling of an unusual archaic essence, without the eccentric notes of vanilla and oak that you note in similar bodied wines. In the crystal goblet it is possible to admire the Abbuoto’s visual strength with an intense, thick ruby red with a velvety violetish reflex. The after-taste emerges slowly but powerfully with an elegant aroma of prunes and wild nature like “frutti di bosco” (in Italy means blueberries, blackberries, raspberries). The final feeling in the mouth is that of an elegant wine, very pleasurable and persistent which vanishes with the delicate freshness of a liquorice tail.

We leave to you, lovers of fine wines and connoisseurs the Sherlock-Holmes-like search for the few families of small local landowners who kept the millenary tradition of making this living pleasure which stems from Rome’s history. Most families living in countryside areas like this one in South Pontino still produce between 400 and 1,000 liters of wine. Some of them they sell it to few friends and eventually occasional Sunday’s tourist and travelers. By visiting and shopping for local delicatessens, you may find one of these small producers of local wine and certainly fewer will have some barrels of the rare (but not extinct) Abbuoto’s Red wine. The countryside here is peaceful and gentle and sunny days are many. I give you only few hints and some advices: you have the names (see above Fondi, San Raffaele, Grunuovo and San Cosma e Damiano, maybe with Google Earth and a bit of perserverance and luck you can depart for your excursions among the countryside of southern Latium hunting for the Cecubo. If you are lucky enough you may discover a rural “casale” (typical countryside rural home of southern Italy) where few local producers or farmer families sell the real descendent of Cecubo, the wine of the Roman emperors.

* The story of the Abbuoto vineyards discovery around the area of Fondi’s countryside is a real story from an article of wine expert and connoisseur Mr Mimmo Albano.