Miriam Lee Masciarelli and Fine Italian MASCIARELLI WINES

Masciarelli Wines was founded by Abruzzo native, Gianni Masciarelli forty years ago in 1981. The wines have become the standard for the Abruzzo region and an inspiration to emerging Italian wine regions.

After a summer in Champagne, Gianni Masciarelli became convinced that world-class wines could be produced in Abruzzo, and through tremendous vision and non-stop innovation, Masciarelli became one of the most admired wineries in Italy. The area has continued to steadily expand to territories in all four provinces of Abruzzo that include Chieti, Teramo, Pescara, and L'Aquila reaching more than 60 parcels of vineyards in 13 municipalities.

Miriam Lee Masciarelli is the Brand Ambassador of Masciarelli Tenute Agricole. The daughter of Gianni Masciarelli and Marina Cvetic, she was born in Ortona, Chieti in 1989. Miriam revealed a remarkably lively and curious personality as a youth. It is not surprising that she has followed in the footsteps of her visionary father, Gianni and also of her grandfather in the business side of the estate.

Following the sudden passing of Gianni in 2008, 18-year-old Miriam replaced her father as the Winery Administrator and, while studying in Rome, worked as a Junior Brand Manager. After graduating in Economics and Management at Luiss University of Rome, Miriam worked in New York for a wine importer prior to working for a communications agency that specialized in the wine and beverage category.

Miriam currently works full time in her role as Brand Ambassador for Masciarelli Wines, with a focus on promotions, sponsorships, and special events worldwide. Recently, she has made a significant contribution in defining the style of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC Riserva Villa Gemma from vintage 2012.

Broadwayworld.com had the wonderful opportunity to ask Miriam some questions about Masciarelli Wines and her thoughts about the future. We are also sharing with our readers tasting notes for three of Masciarelli's top Montepulciano wines.

Tell us a little about your latest wine releases and how they have been received by wine lovers?

We have just released vintage the 2020 of Masciarelli's Villa Gemma Cerasuolo Superiore, our beautiful and pleasant rosé made of 100% Montepulciano grapes. This wine has a short contact of skin of 24 hours. Actually, we consider it more of a summer red than a rosé because of its rich, juicy body and complex bouquet encompassing aromas of rose, violets, strawberry and cherry (the word "Cerasuolo" comes from "cerasa" i.e. cherry). It is an ideal wine for food. Very versatile when paired with pasta, vegetables, white meats, salami cold cuts, young cheeses, fried fishes, pizza and even tempura. Wine lovers, especially chilled red lovers, adore this wine because it never lets you down. Masciarelli Villa Gemma Cerasuolo Superiore 2020 always settles in easily, no matter the occasion.

We'd love to know one of your own favorite wine and food pairings.

My personal favorite pairing is traditional grilled lamb chops paired with Masciarelli's Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva Marina Cvetic. Lamb is a typical meat of Abruzzo gastronomy as it is very savory and tasty. It requires a full-bodied red wine with silky tannins and good acidity to balance its fatty parts.

What do you plan for the future of Masciarelli Wines?

We are about to celebrate an important anniversary. This year our winery turns 40 years old, essentially, reaching adulthood! All jokes aside, many things have happened these past 40 years by my family to enhance the excellence of our wines and local grapes. We're planning several activities worldwide to mark the occasion. In the US, we will soon organize a "Montepulciano Wine School By Masciarelli," which will allow hundreds of wine lovers to join in on virtual conversations with our team to learn about all things Montepulciano. The online classes will include special virtual tastings with myself and my mother Marina Cvetic, followed by a fun quiz. The winners of the quiz will be awarded a grand prize. A trip to our winery resort, Castello di Semivicoli, to discover our beautiful region and taste through our fantastic, high-quality wines. Surrounded by mountains and sea, it will be the perfect getaway for oenophiles.

Our readers will like to know about these fine Montepulciano wines by Masciarelli.

Marina Cvetic Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva 2016 - $32

Best seller of the line and sold in 55 countries, the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva is acclaimed as one of the region's most recognizable and original expressions. The Marina Cvetic Montepulciano d'Abruzzo represents an intense and remarkable expression of Abruzzo's main variety. The 100% Montepulciano d'Abruzzo comes from 8 of the estate's top parcels and represents the summit of what Montepulciano can achieve. This mono-varietal wine, according to Masciarelli's production philosophy, ferments in stainless steel and matures in French oak for over a year and then continues its refinement in bottle. Today it is one of the most representative Masciarelli products, celebrating the potential of local Abruzzo grapes: numerous awards received over the years, including the prestigious "World Top 100" list by Wine Spectator. A wine of great complexity, freshness, and balance with a fine and velvety tannic structure. The aromatic texture ranges from mint, fresh thyme, hints of underbrush, red fruits, olive tapenade, grilled herbs, aniseed, and dark chocolate. Deep and harmonious, closes with rare cleanliness. Full-bodied and extremely versatile with food. Try it with a truffle fillet. It is a fabulous house wine for all your friends and family. (SRP $32)

Marina Cvetic ISKRA 2015

Fruit of pure Montepulciano grapes harvested from a single vineyard in Controguerra (province of Teramo), this wine tells with its dark ruby red color tones, velvety softness and intense aromas of ripe red fruit, one of the most interesting terroirs of the entire Abruzzo region. This gentle slope at 250 mt above sea level and about 12 km far from the Adriatic Sea enjoys a full Mediterranean climate. The manual harvest, carried out in the first half of October, is followed by the fermentation in steel tanks at controlled temperature and a first 12-month aging in French oak barrels. Afterwards, at least 24 months of aging in the bottle follows. Dense and full-bodied, it has vivid notes of blackberries, plums, blueberries, and black currant. Perfect match for roast lamb and stewed meat or for rich and spicy Asian foods. This wine is among the Marina Cvetic line of wines, which Gianni created for his wife. This lovely wine pairs beautifully with stews, cured meats, and a variety of cheeses and entrees. (SRP $38)

Villa Gemma Montepulciano 2015

Austere and majestic, this wine provides an original and unique interpretation of the king grape of Abruzzo and has contributed to make it part of the best world's viticulture map. As a result of continuous research and experimentation both in the vineyard and in the cellar, as well as a long study of viticulture techniques and Abruzzo territories, Villa Gemma is made from 100% Montepulciano grapes rigorously hand-picked in boxes from the second half of October in the Cave vineyard, in San Martino sulla Marrucina. The 5 hectares of vineyards are organized in dense guyot rows of about 30 years of life; the extremely high density of planting gives a greatly concentrated and high-quality limited production. After fermentation in steel, Villa Gemma refines in French oak barrels: powerful and elegant, it reveals great expressive power and extraordinary ageing capacity, with full and explosive scents that evolve surprisingly over the years. An intense wine of character and complexity offering notes of red fruit, cherry, currant, violet and hints of tobacco. Perfect to pair with more traditional dishes, it is the ideal choice for main courses of meat and game, from baked lamb to roast wild boar and mature cheeses. Amazing at the end of the meal, especially accompanied by a dark chocolate or caramel dessert. (SRP $90)

To learn more about Masciarelli Wines, please visit: https://vintus.com/producers/masciarelli/.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Masciarelli Wines