From the coast of the Trabocchi in Ortona, Abruzzi, to the tables of connoisseurs in Italy, Europe and the world over, many buyers, including foreigners, choose to accompany their daily meals with a wine from the Dragani winery. These might include a nice Montepulciano red or a Trebbiano white, in keeping with the traditional native varieties of the Abruzzi, or for some time now, also a Chardonnay.

We asked Grazia Dragani, who is at the company’s helm, what the secret of this success has been and what challenges the future holds.

Signora Dragani, no one in your winery seems to have forgotten the almost two-hundred years of tradition...

Our wine-making tradition is indeed quite curious and old, and we discovered that Emanuele Dragani, the borgomaster of Caldari di Ortona, was already producing good wine that was sold in the area in 1812. My grandfather and my father took up the challenge to ensure continuity, and started selling wine from the cask and in demijohns in a winery in Pescara in the 1960s. From there began the development of the company in Caldari di Ortona, and the use of modern bottling techniques that have enabled us to trade with many countries in Europe and around the world. The same old-time care and attention to detail are still applied daily with every bottle we produce, and we combine this respect for tradition with a constant effort to innovate, using all the new tools available.

And what have been the results up to now?

A production of nine million bottles a year, a business that employs 30 workers and a turnover of seven million Euros.

With which product is the company is most associated?

Our Montepulciano Barricato, which is aged at length in oak barrels, and has a characteristic warm, ruby-red colour with light violet nuances and a well-balanced flavour with a distinct fruity bouquet. It goes very well with roast meat and we are highly satisfied with its success, especially on the foreign market.

To which countries do you mainly export?

We have well-established trade relationships with Germany, Belgium, Great Britain and Holland, as regards Europe, and the USA, and especially Canada, as regards the extra-European market. By way of example, Montepulciano is in very high demand in Belgium, whereas in Canada the demand is mainly for white wine - Trebbiano and also Pinot.

Are there any markets that interest you in terms of the future?

We are looking very closely at China and Japan, from which we expect a very important future growth and development. Attention must be paid to these markets because the orders that come from them are for quality wines. In recent times we have also received requests from various places for Chardonnay, which is not a native variety, such as Trebbiano or Pecorino, but we are counting on it because it is a product with a promising potential for growth on the market.