I discovered Mariapaola’s wines in a beautiful restaurant in Rome, where Jun, chef and owner, introduced them to me. Sinosteria is known for creating a truly unique identity, blending Chinese ingredients and techniques with Italian tradition to produce unexpected, memorable dishes, alongside a carefully curated and original wine list. My friend Pasi and I went there after a long lunch at Santo Palato, and despite our stomachs being completely full, the visual appeal and aromas instantly made us hungry again.
MARIAPAOLA DI CATO
Valle Peligna, Abruzzo
If you are born and raised in Vittorito, wine becomes part of life from an early age. For Mariapaola, childhood meant skipping school to harvest grapes in her grandfather’s vineyard and those of neighbouring families, immersed in a culture where wine was once made by everyone.
Until about thirty years ago, Vittorito—a small village in the Peligna Valley in the province of L’Aquila—was deeply rooted in viticulture. Like much of the Apennines, it has long been a land of shepherds and farmers, with centuries of history tied to the vine and, above all, to Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, a grape native to these inland mountain areas. In 2006, after studying Political Science in Pisa, Mariapaola returned home and, together with her father Francesco, took over the family vineyards.
Today the estate covers just two hectares. Small by most standards, this scale allows Mariapaola to personally oversee every stage of the vine’s life and the entire winemaking process. While this approach brings risks—low yields and, in challenging vintages, even total losses—she values what it offers in return: environmental respect, personal wellbeing, and the freedom to work in harmony with the land.
The vineyards, planted between 1963 and 2020 across several contrade in Vittorito, face southeast and are trained in Guyot and alberello systems. Soils range from loamy and clay-influenced to lighter, calcareous soils with small gravels. Only native varieties are grown: Montepulciano, Malvasia Bianca Lunga, Campolese (Passerina), and Aleatico.
From vineyard to cellar, every bottle is crafted, finished, and labelled by hand—an intimate expression of place, memory, and commitment.
2022 Eughenos
Eughenos, a cerasuolo dark rosato style of Montepulciano, invites an intimate, delicate, and contemplative way of drinking. Made from grapes grown at 335 metres above sea level on loose, calcareous soils with small gravel, the wine undergoes a short overnight maceration followed by spontaneous fermentation in open vats, then seven months in stainless steel. It is juicy yet structured wine, showing vibrant fruit with distinctive notes of wild strawberry and rose petal. Refreshing acidity carries the palate, giving a wine that feels profound yet gentle, expressive and ageworthy.
2022 Anime Erranti
Anime Erranti is a red wine made from 100% Montepulciano grown in the estate’s oldest vineyards at 335 metres above sea level on loose, calcareous soils with small gravel. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and left to macerate during a slow, spontaneous fermentation encouraged by the cool temperatures of late October. Manual punch-downs are carried out daily to gently extract colour and aroma. After fermentation, the wine is racked and aged for 12 months in stainless steel, refining naturally. Juicy and expressive, it shows cherry and red plum aromas with subtle licorice and spice notes.