Emidio Pepe
Emidio Pepe | |
|---|---|
 Pepe in 2009 | |
| Born | July 27, 1932 |
| Died | July 28, 2026 (aged 94) |
| Occupation | Vintner |
Emidio Pepe (1932-2026) was an Italian vintner best known for his work popularizing wine from the Abruzzo wine region. He utilized traditional winemaking methods and organic growing processes. His best known wines were Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo.
Biography
[edit]Pepe was born Agostino Pepe on July 27, 1932,[1] to a family who had grown grapes and made wine for their personal use since the nineteenth century.[2] He dropped out of school at a young age and worked with his father as an agricultural consultant. During this time, he also took courses in Italian and literature by correspondence. In the 1950s, he became a farmer working for other people, and subsequently became head of a farmers association.[1]
In 1960, he took a trip to the Netherlands as part of an agricultural exchange program, living with farmers of table grapes who sold these grapes to Italy. This resulted in him deciding to become a winemaker, which he shifted to in 1964.[1]
He was the first in his family to bottle wines: his father disapproved due to the reputation of wine from Abruzzo as being poor. However, he remained undissuaded and continued working.[1] He was best known for his Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo,[3] and was dubbed "Mister Montepulciano" for popularizing the wine styles.[4]
He started with a small winery, too small to be included in a trip to New York by the local wine consortium, but worked to promote his wines by traveling around the world. One of his early allies was chef Lidia Bastianich,[5] who recommended his wines in her 1998 book.[6] By the time of his death, The New York Times wrote that his wine was celebrated around the world[1] and sold for well over the predicted maximum.[7] He was described as a legend and superstar by Frances Mayes.[8]
His methods included avoiding chemical fertilizers and pesticides, utilizing traditional pergolas for the growth of grapes, destemming them by hand, crushing them by feet, aging wine in concrete and glass instead of wood casks,[1] and using native yeast.[9] These methods led him to be certified as a biodynamic winemaker[10] and viewed as a leader of terroir in Italy,[11] though his goal was only to make the wine well.[1] He held back a large portion of the bottles he made for further aging, which sold for far more.[1][10] He was awarded the sustainability award by Liquid Icons.[12]
Until close to his death, he continued to walk his vineyards every day, which he explained by stating "The countryside is my gym." He died on July 28, 2026.[1] People who mourned him included Luigi D'Eramo, Marco Marsilio,[13] and Michele Fina.[14]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Asimov, Eric (2026-08-04). "Emidio Pepe, Maker of Prized Abruzzo Wines, Dies at 94". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Campanale, Joe; Stein, Joshua David (2022-04-26). Vino: The Essential Guide to Real Italian Wine. Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-593-13614-0.
- ↑ Denegri, Marina (2026-07-28). "Addio ad Emidio Pepe: rivoluzionò Montepulciano e Trebbiano". Abruzzo News (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Fazio, Maurizio De (2026-07-28). "E' morto Emidio Pepe, 'Mister Montepulciano'". Calabria News (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Babür-Winter, Oset (2025-06-09). "How Emidio Pepe Redefined Abruzzo Wine". SevenFifty Daily. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Bastianich, Lidia (1998-09-02). Lidia's Italian Table: More Than 200 Recipes From The First Lady Of Italian Cooking. Harper Collins. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-688-15410-3.
- ↑ Valeriani, Maurizio (2017-12-02). "Aggiornamento Asta Emidio Pepe a New York, Londra e Los Angeles: un grande successo: la bottiglia di 1967 di Montepulciano d'Abruzzo venduta a 1600 dollari" (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Mayes, Frances; Cohane, Ondine (2020). Frances Mayes Always Italy. National Geographic Books. p. 248. ISBN 978-1-4262-2091-3.
- ↑ Lindgren, Shelley; Leahy, Kate (2023-08-29). Italian Wine: The History, Regions, and Grapes of an Iconic Wine Country. Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-9848-5762-0.
- 1 2 Napjus, Alison (2026-07-29). "Emidio Pepe, Abruzzo Pioneer, Dies at 94". Wine Spectator. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Iannone, Barbara (2014), Sustainable process in wine sector: biodynamic agriculture. The case of Emidio Pepe winery., retrieved 2026-08-25
- ↑ "To Emidio Pepe the "Sustainability Award" of the "Golden Vines Awards" 2023 by Liquid Icons". WineNews. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Centro, Il. "Addio Emidio Pepe, il vignaiolo che ha trasformato il destino del Montepulciano". il Centro. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Sera, Abruzzo (2026-07-28). "Morte di Emidio Pepe, il cordoglio del senatore Michele Fina (PD)". Abruzzo Sera. Retrieved 2026-08-25.