Zaccagnini has the goal of “absolute quality, from cluster to glass”

Zaccagnini established its family-run business in 1978.  Located in the heart of Bolognano, a small town in the Abruzzi region of Italy known for guarding important treasures and treasures, the Winery has grown rapidly and steadily. With the goal of “absolute quality, from cluster to glass” oenologist Concezio Marulli oversees 300 hectares of beautiful vineyards and monitors every stage of production.

Excellence, passion and devotion to vines have made Tralcetto’s wines the pride of Abruzzi’s wine production— appreciated all over the world.

 

Describe the moment you fell in love with wine for the first time.

I was 8 years old and I was obsessed with my cousin, practically a big brother, who was 18 at that time and was already planning the ZACCAGNINI project, which has, for years now, been an international phenomenon. My love for wine then grew with my studies of Agriculture and Oenology.

Do you have a winemaking philosophy that you try to share with others?

I always start from the basis of tradition, which represents the foundation of my philosophy. I then try to improve on this with the aid of technology, without forcing the matter, but in the constant search for excellence.

In what way has the perspective of time changed your approach to wine?

Winemaking reminds you of the importance of time: whether you want to obtain a young and crisp wine or a structured and complex wine … you always must respect time.

Who inspires you personally - in wine or in your business?

For me, there is no bad vine, but there can be bad interpretations which start from the vineyard, continue in the winery and finish with the bottle aging. Attention to detail allows you to obtain great wine even from vines that are not fully appreciated by the market. I start from the premise that there is a treasure in the grape that I must extract ...and to do this I must use knowledge and technology.

What is the most overrated trend in wine today?

Market standardization. We believe, on the other hand, that every market is different from the others and it is essential to know the particular market very well before approaching it. When launching our products on a new market, we invest heavily in market analysis to find out if our wines, just as how they are created, will meet the tastes of local consumers and how they should, perhaps, be “modulated”. This is how we have become the best-selling Montepulciano d'Abruzzo in the USA.

Which new winemakers excite you the most and why?

The so-called flying winemakers, which can produce several harvests in one year, in different conditions and with different grape varieties. They can teach us a great deal. I decided to specialize in our vines by doing scientific research on them until obtaining, for example, a Montepulciano Passito. This was considered “unthinkable” 20 years ago, but it is now one of the most popular passito wines in Italy.

If you weren't a winemaker / sommelier, what would you do?

I would probably have studied Mechanical Engineering … I would have liked to have worked for Pirinfarina, but then that toy was still growing and my passion for wine caught me forever. We always apply Mechanical Engineering in any case in our winery, where all the machines have been modified - being unique in the world - to our requirements resulting from constant experimentation.

What led you to select Nomacorc PlantCorcs?

Nomacorc asked me to do some research, a scientific study, with the Experimental Institute of Asti … I was very hesitant, but I have always liked experimenting. After 4 years of studies without Nomacorc ever asking for anything, I analyzed the results and then it was easy to convince the Owner, the Sales Director and Marketing that, in the face of the scientific evidence, replacing the cork with Nomacorc products was the future.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Being able to manage a process: with Nomacorc, I can now completely control the oxygen in the bottle, which enables me to have all the bottles just as I designed them. This makes me calm and therefore happy.

What, if nothing else, do you leave to chance in the winery or in life?

The only thing that we leave to chance in the winery is art just as it came about in 1964 with Joseph Beuyes who asked us to do a convention together for the Defence of Nature … many years have passed, but Zaccagnini continues to maintain the same ideals in terms of sustainability and art which, every year, we celebrate with a different artist.

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