The De Fermo family has called Loreto Aprutino home for generations. Family records show vines being cultivated there since 1100, and the family has had a presence in the area since 1785. The estate sits in eastern Pescara, one of four provinces within Abruzzo. The current generation, led by husband-and-wife team Stefano Papetti and Eloisa De Fermo, returned to her family vineyards and olive orchards after successful law careers in Bologna.
Since resurrecting their family’s cultural heritage in 2008 (the winery had not been in use since the mid-1950s), Stefano and Eloisa have proven themselves to be worthy stewards of their land. They have shown that they are talented winemakers who understand that the best thing they can do is to intervene as little as possible in the cellar and let Loreto Aprutino do the talking.
They own 17 hectares of vineyards (including some of Italy’s oldest plantings of Chardonnay) at 280 to 320 meters of altitude, and have been practicing biodynamic principles since 2008. From those 17 hectares, only six hectares are used for their estate wines. The rest is sold to the local cooperative. The winery is tiny, with a total potential production of 30,000 bottles, but current production is half that. Selected yeasts are not used, and there is no control over fermentation temperatures. The wines are never fined or filtered. Very little sulfur is used, usually before bottling and sometimes during racking.
Additionally, the estate is also very active in restoring and cultivating heirloom olives, wheats, and grains. The family produces its own line of organic pastas.
