Emidio Pepe, Montepulciano d'Abbruzzo 'Branella' 2021

For years after the Pepe estate was founded in 1899, it was dedicated to growing grapes to sell to a local co-op. That was until 1964, when Emidio took the helm and decided their grapes were too good to share, choosing instead to start producing his own wines. At the time the estate was a single hectare – now it’s seventeen. His wines are produced organically and biodynamically, and he was one of the first producers in the region to embrace the practices. Although it’s hard to believe now, Emidio’s wines weren’t initially successful on the domestic market – it wasn’t until he took a trip to New York that he started to build the incredible reputation that he has today.