Death Toll at 150 After Earthquake Monday in Italian Wine Region

In what is still a developing story, 150 people have died as the result of an earthquake early this morning in the Abruzzo region of Italy, which is in central Italy, east of Rome.

MSNBC is reporting:

Tens of thousands were homeless and at least 1,500 injured… The earthquake struck at 3:32 a.m. local time in the quake-prone Abruzzo region, which has had at least nine smaller jolts since the beginning of April. The U.S. Geological Survey said Monday’s quake was magnitude 6.3, but Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics put it at 5.8.

L’Aquila Mayor Massimo Cialente said some 100,000 people were homeless. It was not clear if that estimate included surrounding towns. Some 10,000 to 15,000 buildings were either damaged or destroyed, officials said.

It is unclear at this time what the impact of the earthquake is having on the Abruzzo wine industry. We’ll pass on any information we hear regarding relief efforts, including opportunities to support those affected by earthquake in this incredible wine region.

MORE ON ABRUZZO

Taken from the Second Edition of “The New Wine Lover’s Companion”:

Abruzzi is a very mountainous region located east of Rome on the Adriatic Sea about midway down the coastline. There are approximately 82,00 vineyard acres. The main grape variety used for white wines is trebbiano, but there are a multitude of other white grapes allowed including bombino, bianco, malvasia, and pinot grigio/pinot gris. Montepulciano is the main grape for rosso and rosato, follwed by sangiovese. There are three DOCs in this area: Controguerra, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, and Montepulciano D’Abruzzo.

Jancis Robinson’s Third Edition of the “Oxford Companion to Wine” adds:

Abruzzo is fifth among Italy’s regions in terms of production, with a total output of just under 4 million hl/105 million gal in 2004… An attempt to redeem the image of Montepulciano has een made with the introduction in 2003 of DOCG for Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane, for Montepulciano grown in the hills in the area around Teramo in the northern part of Abruzzo.

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