Rocco Pasetti's superbly sited, 50 hectare, estate lies in the heart of the Collecorvino district in the hills northwest of Pescara, recognised as one of the best vineyard zones in Abruzzo.
Surrounding the winery, the south-facing slopes of clay-chalk soils, at around 250m altitude, are ideal for the cultivation of Montepulciano, with Pecorino grown on the lower slopes. The cellar was completed in 2004 - carved into the hillside. Rocco's son, Franco Pasetti, is also a winemaker and now works alongside him at the estate.
The Contesa wines are impeccably-made expressions of Abruzzo's local grapes - modern and easy to drink, yet wines of real substance.
Contesa is certified by VIVA, a Sustainability programme promoted by the Italian Ministry of Environment. This uses four key indicators - Air, Water, Vineyard and Territory - to assess environmental and social impact based on life cycle assessment standards and ISO-compliant methodologies (eg. ISO 14067 for carbon footprint). This has been in place at Contesa since 2025 (prior to that Contesa was certified Sustainable according to SQNPI). The winery is also in conversion to Organic - with all wines certified Organic from the 2025 vintage.
Rocco Pasetti is one of Abruzzo's winemaking pioneers, and his wines are unquestionably amongst the best in the region. The...
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Azienda Agricola Contesa
Abruzzo, Italy
Beautifully textural and complex, part skin fermented white from a small block of 25 year old Trebbi...
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Azienda Agricola Contesa
Abruzzo, Italy
A crisp and vibrant white from Passerina, an indigenous variety from Italy’s Adriatic coast. Like ...
IPS003
Azienda Agricola Contesa
Abruzzo, Italy
The Montepulciano grape produces a very distinctive style of rosé typical of the Abruzzo region. Kn...
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Azienda Agricola Contesa
Abruzzo, Italy
A richly flavoured Montepulciano from Contesa's estate in the Pescara hills. Unusually complex style...
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Azienda Agricola Contesa
Abruzzo, Italy
Juicy sour cherry, soft tannins and lip-smacking acidity combine to give an unusually fine example o...
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Azienda Agricola Contesa
Abruzzo, Italy
Abruzzo's Pecorino grape is one of Italy's fastest growing white varieties. It's a perfect accompani...
IPS001
Azienda Agricola Contesa
Abruzzo, Italy
Abruzzo's Adriatic coast is renowned for fantastic seafood, and the local Pecorino variety is the pe...
We truly believe our wines are fantastic, but you already knew that – we wouldn’t …
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Victoria Moore, writing for the Daily Telegraph (16th Sept '17), has selected Contesa's Caparrone Pecorino 2016 …
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