Quick Conversations In Wine Cristiana Tiberio From Tiberio
The Vancouver International Wine Festival starts this week and we’ve interviewed a few of the attendees. Good Wine Gal’s Barb Wild and I choose some of the women in attendance for this year’s festival and have presented them with a few quick fire questions to get to know them better. Here’s our Q + A with Italy’s Cristiana Tiberio From Tiberio More on the Wine Festival here.
Proudest moment?
In 2004 when the first old vines of TREBBIANO ABRUZZESE, at that time 50 years old, were revived and started to produce grapes again.
Favorite grape variety?
Trebbiano Abruzzese
Favorite wine you make? Why?
Fonte Canale. It’s my favourite because it ovvers the deepest and purest expression of its terroir and of its unique massal biotypes (the same genotype).
Favorite food? Meal?
I love Spaghetti alle vongole ( clams with absolutely no cream sauce as that is never done in real Italian cuisine, and the spaghetti must be very al dente)
Funny thing that happened along the way ?
I was taking a walk with my brother in 2000 shortly after my father bought the estate and we realized that one of our Trebbiano Abruzzese vineyards had another funny-looking grape also growing there. It turned out to be Pecorino, now one of our estate’s most famous and sought after wines.
Yoga? Meditation? What keeps you going?
My beautiful pastore Abruzzese dogs
Blundstones or Blahniks?
Blahniks though I spend a lot of time in work boots, given my work in the vineyards and cellar
What are you looking forward to this year?
Happiness, success and above all health, as always
Organic, biodynamic, vegan, low alcohol wines. What are your thoughts on these?
Wines don’t need to stay in a predetermined category, wines need to remain independent of fads and fashion, staying true to their terroir, environment and their genetic origin with no alchemic or industrial manipulation
Advice for women in the industry?
Professionalism, talent, knowledge and good manners are the key, for women and men alike.
Tiberio Winery
Tiberio is a family owned estate winery, specializing in wines made from authentic Abruzzo NATIVE GRAPE VARIETIES/ We are very focused on organic farming, biodiversity and in saving and propagating the original massal clones for any grape variety. The family owns 30 hectares of vineyards in mountain area of Abruzzo, at 350 meters of elevation in the town of Cugnoli.
The history of the winery started in 1999 when Riccardo Tiberio found a very old plot of the authentic and rare Trebbiano Abruzzese vines. Despite the variety’s name, it is a rarity in Abruzzo. This is because the high quality Trebbiano Abruzzese grapes (which has nothing in common with Trebbiano Toscano) have always been confused with other similar-looking but altogether different varieties in the region. Riccardo was so impressed and excited by his discovery of these roughly 70 years old vines that he decided to change his and his family’s destiny. The family purchased the abandoned old vineyard in order to save this historical variety and its unique genetic patrimony. In just 10 years Tiberio has became one the most respected and awarded winery in Abruzzo and in Italy.
