After our two hour lunch we start our journey up and down the many hills and valleys of Abruzzo. In this mountain town over looking the Adriatic Sea, the air is pure –  free of cars, machines and industry. The Masciarelli’s land is spread out all over the Valley, which is why these grapes are very versatile.  We drive from field to field looking at the many vistas and sampling the grapes; you can really taste the land in the fruit.

Some of the fruit is kissed by the sea air, some by the morning sun, some by the afternoon sun, some are on top of the hills, some are at the bottom. This diversity helps make the wine superior. The grapes are tended to and the wine is made with a great respect for nature. The harvest will start in October and finish in the first week of November. They will not be picked until nature says it’s time.

As Rocco and Angela describe each plot of land to us, we can sense and feel their passion, their love for wine, the land, and what they do for a living.

After two-and-a-half hours of driving, surveying and tasting, we arrive back at the vineyard where the wine is made, stored and aged. We go through the various processes and learn much about fermentation, aging and how these wines are made. Some are aged in French oak, some of the barrels toasted, and some of the wines are aged in stainless steel.  Most of you who are reading this blog have already been to a winery, so there’s no need to get too technical. Suffice it to say that in addition to the demonstration in organic chemistry, we received a demonstration in gracious hospitality, passion, respect and integrity.

As our tour ends, we climb back to the top of the vineyard at road side, and as we reach the top of the stairs we are greeted by Mrs. Masciarelli. She welcomes us with a large smile and a hug for Umberto.  For the next hour, she extends her time and her hospitality to us, telling us stories of the passions, dreams and life of her husband and how he created this amazing business.  She lives just across the street in the villa where her husband was born, it is called Villa Gemma, a beautiful villa steps away from where their many wines are made. There is even a line of wine which is also named after the Villa Gemma which we will taste this evening.  

We say our good byes, exchange cards, numbers and e-mails so we can all stay in touch. As we walk to the cars Mrs. Masciarelli tells us to enjoy the castle, which confuses me. What castle?

Rocco gestures us to jump in the car and off we go to the castle. On the way we stop at a few more plots of land and taste more grapes and catch more views of the valley and the Adriatic. Back in the car and further down the road we approach a large fence with a lock on the gate. Rocco gets out of the car and unlocks the gate. We walk up the path to the castle, a 17^th century home once owned by a baron.

The view from this property is breathtaking; we tour room after room, many still the way the baron left them complete with furniture, art and even the children’s toys which are still in place.  There is a wine cellar with enormous barrels dating back to 1680. It’s incredible.

One of Gianni Maciarelli’s dreams was to convert this castle into a luxury resort for his guests and for people who are looking for luxury in Abruzzo. I think to myself – this might make a really nice Rosewood hotel!

As we tour the property, we enter the baron’s bedroom which has a private entrance into the neighboring church, designed this way so he could have a private balcony in the church. Some of the rooms have high ceilings hand painted with sparkling with antique chandlers. Some are currently under renovation – the dream of the luxury resort is about two years away, but you can sense how beautiful the finished product will be. There are beautiful views from the villa.  The gardens are beautiful. In one area, there is a 300-year-old olive press. The gardens have grapes vines, fruit trees, pomegranates, pears, peaches, vistas of the surrounding country side and a private family church. It is beautiful and makes me want to have more plants in my high-rise back in Dallas. We climb the stairs to the top floor, a suite with a 360-degree panoramic view of the entire valley and an ocean view with a small porch with an even better view.

As we watch the sun set on the valley, the sea grows dark on the horizon. Rocco tells us again that it’s time to drink more wine.  We retire to the dining room, still left the way the baron left it. We taste the 99 Villa Gemma- it’s delicious  – so smooth and balanced and made more so by the surroundings and the company. After a glass I halfway expect the baron to appear. This has been an incredible day, but it’s far from over. After we finish our wine, we are on our way to a town by the sea for a seafood dinner and more Villa Gemma.