An Evening of Emidio Pepe

An Evening of Emidio Pepe

Some wine is top of its class; others are in a class of their own. Emidio Pepe, the legendary producer from the northern Abruzzo province of Teramo, undoubtedly falls in the latter category.

Since the end of the 19th century, the Pepe family has established itself as the benchmark producer of Montepulciano and Trebbiano in Abruzzo, pioneering biodynamic practices, exercising rare restraint in a region plagued by mass production, and eschewing the use of oak altogether. For all the discourse about natural wine in the current moment, production at Pepe has always been unapologetically hands-off, even as they've become recognized as one of the icons of Italian wine, and as producers of some of the most age-worthy wines from anywhere in the world: grapes are picked and destemmed by hand; the reds are crushed by hand, the whites by foot; fermentations are always spontaneous; all wine is aged in a glass lined, cement tanks. That approach might seem radical even now, but it was unheard of when the estate was established, and even still when Emidio Pepe took over in 1964. Still, they've never strayed from those ideals, even as the fourth and fifth generations of the Pepe family (sisters Daniela and Sofia, and more recently, Daniela's daughter Chiara) have taken charge of the estate.

Wines made in such a low intervention style are rarely seen as worthy of decades in the cellar. And yet, the Pepe wines are among the most collectable wines in the world, maintaining a remarkable freshness at 20, 30, even 40+ years old. That's because the Pepe family not only holds back a significant portion of each vintage to age in bottle in their cellar, they also decant each of those bottles after 20 years, sealing with a fresh cork and ensuring quality before release.

On Thursday, November 7th, longtime Pepe importer and friend of the shop Oliver McCrum will host a special, intimate tasting of these singular wines, speaking in deeper detail about the place, the process, and the particulars of what sets them apart. We'll open 3 vintages of Montepulciano, all over 20 years old, and the most recent releases of Trebbiano and Pecorino. This is a rare - if not unheard of - opportunity to taste some of the most limited and allocated wines on the market with the man who knows more about them than almost anyone else.

Space is incredibly limited - don't wait!

We'll be Pouring:

2019 Emidio Pepe Trebbiano
2021 Emidio Pepe Pecorino
2003 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano
2000 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano

2001 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano

All tickets come with a tasting of 5 wines + charcuterie

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Solano Cellars, 1580 Solano Avenue, Berkeley, United States