Not every winery begins by planting a vineyard.

Some begin with a journey home.

For Cantina di Rosina, that journey spans a century. It starts in the hills of southern Abruzzo, where the family's ancestors made wine throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It crosses the Atlantic after the First World War, when the family left Italy in search of new opportunities in the United States. And it returns to the small hilltop village of Carunchio, where proprietor John Conti has revived a winemaking tradition that had been interrupted for generations.

Image: (L-R) Logo of  Cantina di Rosina and John Conti, the Proprietor. Source: Cantina di Rosina.

The result is not simply a new winery, but the continuation of a family story.

"Our ancestors produced quality wine in the Southern Abruzzo region of Italy," Conti writes. "Now, 100 years later, I have returned to my beautiful ancestral village of Carunchio to carry on producing wines that are approachable, elegant, and capture the spirit of this stunning region."

That sense of continuity shapes everything at Cantina di Rosina.

Rather than recreating the past, the winery combines family heritage with modern expertise. To realise that vision, Conti assembled a team of experienced agronomists and oenologists, bringing together traditional knowledge of Abruzzo with contemporary viticulture and winemaking. The objective is straightforward: produce wines that express the character of the region while introducing more drinkers to one of Italy's most underrated wine landscapes.

Abruzzo has long occupied a unique place in Italian wine.

Stretching from the Apennine Mountains to the Adriatic Sea, the region benefits from significant diurnal temperature variation, diverse elevations, and a climate well suited to varieties such as Montepulciano and Trebbiano. While Montepulciano d'Abruzzo has become one of Italy's best-known appellations internationally, much of the region still offers remarkable value and authenticity compared with many of the country's more famous wine regions.

Image: Apennine Mountains and Adriatic Sea. Source: Cantina di Rosina

Cantina di Rosina has chosen to place those native varieties at the centre of its portfolio.

Its flagship wines include Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC, each reflecting a different expression of the region. The Montepulciano and Cerasuolo are produced from the Montepulciano grape, while the Trebbiano highlights one of central Italy's most historic white varieties. The wines are designed to be approachable while remaining true to their origins, emphasising freshness, balance, and food compatibility rather than excessive extraction or oak influence.

The winery's first commercial vintage arrived in 2024, marking an important milestone for the project. For Conti, however, the wines are intended to tell a broader story than simply that of a new producer.

Each bottle includes a QR code inviting consumers to discover both the history of Cantina di Rosina and the wider story of Abruzzo itself. It reflects the winery's belief that wine is inseparable from the people and places that produce it.

That commitment has already begun earning international recognition.

At the 2026 Sommeliers Choice Awards, both of Cantina di Rosina's inaugural red wines received Gold Medals and 90 points. The 2024 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC was recognised for its structure and balance, while the 2024 Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC, produced from Montepulciano grapes using brief skin contact to achieve its distinctive cherry colour, also earned Gold Medal status. Together, the awards recognise the winery's ability to express two very different interpretations of Abruzzo's signature variety, one as a classic red and the other as the region's distinctive rosato. For a producer releasing its first commercial vintage, earning international recognition across both wines represents a significant milestone and an encouraging endorsement of the estate's direction.

Image: 2026 Sommeliers Choice Awards Winners - 2024 Cantina di Rosina Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC and 2024 Cantina di Rosina Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC

The recognition represents more than an individual medal.

For a producer releasing its first vintage, international validation suggests that years spent reconnecting with family history and investing in the vineyards of Abruzzo are already beginning to bear fruit. It also reinforces the growing reputation of Abruzzo as a region capable of producing wines that appeal to both consumers and the hospitality trade.

Cantina di Rosina's ambitions extend beyond producing wine alone.

The winery speaks repeatedly about sharing "the beauty of Abruzzo with the world, one glass at a time." That phrase captures the broader purpose behind the project. Rather than focusing solely on bottles, the winery invites people to discover a region shaped by mountains, coastline, historic villages, and generations of agricultural tradition.

It is, in many respects, a story about returning.

Returning to family roots. Returning to a village left behind generations ago. Returning to vineyards that once sustained the family before history sent them in another direction.

Wine often speaks of place.

At Cantina di Rosina, it also speaks of memory.

The family's journey began in Abruzzo, travelled across an ocean, and eventually found its way back to the same hills where the story first started. Every vintage now adds another chapter, proving that while generations may leave, the connection to the land can endure.

For Cantina di Rosina, that enduring connection may be its greatest legacy.

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