Montepulciano d’Abruzzo ‘dal Tralcetto’. Cantina Zaccagnini. 2006.

I promised last week that we’d soon be revisiting our local Abruzzo wines and this wood-aged Montepulciano from just about the hottest Cantina in the region right now is a good place to start.

With a marketing stroke that borders on genius, the simple addition of a 2-inch vine cutting - the ‘tralcetto’ of its brand-name - attached to the neck of the bottle with a stylish twist of raffia made this particular Montepulciano d’Abruzzo a stand-out on wine-store shelves around the world…

(Click on the headline title above for more - with pictures ! - about this brand-leading Abruzzo red wine which you’ll enjoy on your Villasfor2 holiday)

In Abruzzo, fireworks are a spectacular feature of fairs, feasts and festivals. We’re just back from the dazzling display marking a medieval banquet in Fara San Martino.

Fara San Martino is an ancient village nestling 1500 feet up under the lowering heights of the Majella about 20 minutes away from your Abruzzo villa for two. Last Friday, Fara staged ‘Il Visitatore’, a medieval-themed pageant and banquet, which ended with a stupendous midnight firework display…

(There’s fireworks…then there’s Abruzzo fireworks…For the full story - and some pretty good firework pictures too - click on the main headline title above)

Each week for the past six months, we’ve tasted a new ‘Everyday Italian Wine’ for you to enjoy at home or on your Villasfor2 Abruzzo vacation. Here are the verdicts…

The Good
What’s been the best ? OK - twist my arm. Too close to call between…

The Bad
Time to name and shame. A dead-heat between…

The Bubbly
Not that there was immense competition, but…

(Want to see the full list ? What’s terrific and what’s terrible ? Click on the headline title above for the full story - with pictures…)