Catabbo
History
Catabbo, like many producers in Molise, has a long history in agriculture. Vincenzo, the founder of Catabbo’s wine cellars, was primarily focused on the sale of cereals & grain back in the early 90’s. He purchased land located on the slopes of San Martino in Pensilis during this time. The land turned out to be too stoney for grain production; however, it was perfect for growing vines.
Around the same time, and just by chance he started speaking to a local farmer. He discovered that this farmer had been carefully cultivating a then-obscure and rare grape variety, Tintilia. In 1997 he decided, for fun, to try growing some Tintilia on his plot of land – it turned out the site was ideal for this native Molise grape.
This growing interest in wine production led to a visit to France, including Bordeaux & Burgundy. Vincenzo came away with the strong belief that to make great wine you need to start in the vineyard. From 2004 onwards, and with the help of his children Sarah, Carla and Pasquale, the wine cellars and vineyards were fully modernised. The final aim was always quality and this is represented in Catabbo’s wines to this day.
Quick Facts
- 40 Hectares under vine
- From 2019 all production is Certified Organic
- Located at San Martino in Pensillis
- Falanghina, Trebbiano, Chardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc are grown for White Wines
- Monetpulciano & Tintilia for the Red Wines
- Website at https://www.catabbo.it/
How we met Vincenzo & Sara
Catabbo’s wines were introduced to us by a close friend, Lori, who also lives in San Martino in Pensilis. This was not long after we had arrived in Molise and we were still getting used to the idea that there were vineyards located all over the countryside.
Lori offered to introduce us to Sara, the daughter of Vincenzo, when we decided to setup Vine & Soul. Visiting Catabbo was a treat as Vincenzo took us for a drive around his vineyards pointing out the different plots and why certain plots were ideal for each variety choosen. Working with Sara we also had an early tour of thier new tasting rooms and labratory, which we are very excited to start taking guests to.
Catabbo is one of the larger vineyards we work with but due to the consistent high quality of their wines we feel more then happy to offer their wines to our customers.
Scott & Ewa
