Cantina Tollo: Winemakers from Abruzzo

Numerous award-winning wines and holistic sustainability ethics have won Cantina Tollo recognition as the best Italian cooperative wine producer.

The vineyards of Cantina Tollo enjoy cool influences of the snow-capped Maiella limestone massif and fresh breezes from the Adriatic Sea.
The vineyards of Cantina Tollo enjoy cool influences of the snow-capped Maiella limestone massif and fresh breezes from the Adriatic Sea.

Nestled between the snow-capped Maiella limestone massif and the Adriatic Sea, are the lush, green rolling vineyard hills of Cantina Tollo. Founded in 1960, the cooperative brought economic viability to the region’s numerous small family winegrowers and turned the sleepy village of Tollo into a real “city of wine”. 

From the original winery, three different companies have developed over the years: Cantina Tollo, Feudo Antico and Auramadre. Cantina Tollo represents the holding, with vineyards located in Abruzzo, Molise and Puglia. Feudo Antico is distributed solely on the on-trade channel and focuses on Tullum DOCG and the local varieties Passerina, Pecorino, Montepulciano, which are trained on the traditional pergolas of the region. The success of Cantina Tollo’s organic line inspired the founding of Auramadre with 200 hectares of certified organic vineyards in 2019. Today, Cantina Tollo brings together 700 family winegrowers that cultivate a total of 2,700 hectares of vineyards, producing 14 million bottles annually. 

 


General Manager Andrea di Fabio inspects Montepulciano grapes trained on traditional regional pergola.

 

Health, safety and sustainability 

Strengthened by 60 years of success, Cantina Tollo continues the development of its strategy. This means constantly improving the high quality of its wines, which are gaining more and more recognition both in Italy and abroad. Controlled origins and production chains ensure the health and safety of products. Cantina Tollo is attentive to growing consumer attention toward naturalness and well-being. Vegan certified wines and responsible consumption in moderation are promoted. 

Respect for the environment and communities has always been the driving force of Cantina Tollo’s sustainability efforts. The cooperative began with organic cultivation before it was fashionable back in the early 1990s and organic wines now make up 10 % of production. Renumeration for cooperative members is based on hectares cultivated and not on volumes produced, thus enhancing a culture of quality in the vineyards. A photovoltaic system supplies 80 KW electricity. Purification plants ensure the quality of incoming and outgoing water, even for irrigation. 

 


Seven different vintages of the Cantina Tollo Mo’ Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOP Riserva have won the prestigious Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri award.

 

Internationally acclaimed

General Manager Andrea di Fabio states, “Diurnal temperature fluctuations in our region enhance polyphenolic maturation, thus contributing to the development of aromas, while constant winds keep the grapes healthy. Freshness and sapidity are features shared by all Cantina Tollo wines, thanks to low night temperatures and cool sea breezes that preserve acidity.”

Cantina Tollo has won more than 1000 gold, silver and bronze medals at wine tastings and competitions around the world. At home, several wines have won Italy’s most prestigious prize, the Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri. These accolades and its successful efforts for economic and environmental sustainability have brought Cantina Tollo recognition as Best Coop Winery at the Berliner Wine Trophy (2021, 2020, 2019), Winery of the Year at China Wine Competition in 2019, Producer of the Year in 2010 by Mundus Vini and, in the same year, it was also appointed.

 


The Cantina Tollo Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is made from Montepulciano and was voted Best Italian Rosé Wein at the 5 Star Wines Awards 2020 at VinItaly.

 

Best European Coop-Winery by the German magazine Weinwirtschaft

Wines from Cantina Tollo are available both on-trade and off-trade in Italy and in over 46 countries around the world. Germany, Canada, France, China and Japan are the most important importers, with 95 % of sales occurring in restaurants and the hospitality channel. 

 

INFO

Cantina Tollo
Via G. Garibaldi, 68
66010 Tollo CH
Italy
Tel. +39 0871 96251
www.cantinatollo.it
 

 

 

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