Masciarelli Abruzzo Wine Lunch
Masciarelli Abruzzo Wine Lunch
It was such a pleasure to enjoy a sip of Masciarelli wine again after my visit to Abruzzo a few years back with I.E.E.M. Wine.
It was an exciting visit in which we discovered the terroir of the region and the major grape varieties, Trebbiano and Montepulciano.
The Lunch Venue
The lunch was held in Roscioli Restaurant in New York, in its wine cellar.
It was a gorgeous venue that made me feel as if I was in Italy, with its vaulted ceilings and delicious cuisine.
What made this luncheon exceptional was the four well-chosen wines of Masciarelli Tenute Agricole, arranged to pair with key dishes from the five-course menu.
Miriam Lee Masciarelli, an attractive woman who now runs the winery with her mother, introduced the wines and the terroir from which they came.
Miriam Lee Masciarelli
At just 36, Miriam radiates the quiet authority of someone born into vineyards yet shaped by global perspective.
As Brand Ambassador and Administrator of Masciarelli, she leads tasting events and brand vision around the globe.
During our lunch, her stories flowed as easily as the wines — tales of microclimates, family traditions, and a relentless pursuit of terroir expression.
Discovering Abruzzo
Cradled between the Adriatic Sea and the Apennine Mountains, Abruzzo is a tapestry of altitudes, climate pockets, and soil types that lend themselves to viticultural alchemy.
Known as the “green region of Europe,” Abruzzo boasts three national parks and unparalleled biodiversity.
Limestone, clay, loam, elevation shifts, ocean breezes, and glacier-fed air currents all work together to shape distinctive vineyard characters.
Masciarelli reads the nuanced language of this landscape like a native tongue. With over 60 vineyard plots across all four of Abruzzo’s provinces (Chieti, Pescara, Teramo, and L’Aquila), the estate articulates a comprehensive story of the region.
A Family with Deep Roots
Founded by Gianni Masciarelli in 1981, the winery started with a bold vision: to elevate the wines of Abruzzo from rustic anonymity to world-class refinement.
During a trip to Croatia in search of oak barrels, Gianni met Marina Cvetić, who would become both his wife and his powerhouse winemaking partner.
Her impact is unmissable: fierce, elegant wines that speak of tradition through a modern lens.
When Gianni passed away unexpectedly in 2008, Miriam was just 18. She seamlessly stepped into leadership alongside her mother, guided by academic rigor (studies in Economics and Wine Marketing) and a heartfelt devotion to extending her family’s legacy.
Today, she fosters international partnerships and also orchestrates the immersive wine tourism experiences at their restored 17th-century wine resort, Castello di Semivicoli.
Masciarelli Abruzzo Wine Lunch
Masciarelli Abruzzo Wine Lunch
The Masciarelli lunch in New York was intimate. Just a handful of industry professionals and myself, seated family-style around a rustic wooden table.
A small table offering house-cured meats, cheese, and seasonal ingredients served as a very Italian pre-lunch buffet, many mirroring the flavors of Abruzzo. Each course arrived like a culinary stanza to its vinous poetry.
The Masciarelli Wines
The first wine poured was the MARINA CVETIĆ TREBBIANO 2019.
This wine offered breadth, barrique-aged opulence, and a taut line of acidity.
Grown on slopes with cool mountain air and flanked by a meandering river, it offered aromas and flavors of almond and chestnut with stone fruit undertones. Its vibrant finish revealed not just place, but precision.
In her presentation, Miriam noted her father’s Burgundian experiences in his 20s directly influenced the vinification of this wine. Tasting it, I did find a white Burgundian elegance.
Next came the VILLA GEMMA CERASUOLO 2023. It is a Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo (rosato) striking in color, somewhere between crimson and coral.
With flavors of wild cherry, tomato leaf, and sweet herbs, it is serious drinking disguised as summer liveliness. Miriam noted that their Cerasuolo is a rosato with the structure of a red.
The ISKRA MONTEPULCIANO 2019 came from a single site in Controguerra, in the Teramo province.
Aged in French barrique, it is an intense yet contemplative Montepulciano. Planted at high density (80,000 vines per hectare), the vines yield just 3 clusters each, producing a wine of concentration, muscle, and deep vegetal nuance.
And finally, the crescendo: VILLA GEMMA MONTEPULCIANO RISERVA 2018 — Masciarelli’s flagship.
A classic only made in the best years, this wine comes from vineyards in both north and south Abruzzo, aged five years before release.
The long hang time and small yields (harvest extends into November) give it a brooding complexity and aromas/flavors of black cherries, sweet tobacco, and iron-rich earth.
An Inheritance Beyond Wine
Toward the end of our lunch, I asked Miriam when she first realized she was part of a wine dynasty.
Most answers to this question involve a Michelin-starred meal or a sommelier’s reverent greeting.
Miriam simply recalled watching her father lead a seminar of 250 prominent members of the wine trade, Antinori among them. At that moment, she realized her father, family, and wines were famous in Italy and the world.
In Conclusion
It was great to see Miriam and experience their fantastic wines, which are available here in NYC.
