MiscellaneaPot-Pourri

Scuppoz, natural liquors from Abruzzo

Scuppoz Liquori abruzzesi

A visit to the Scuppoz company allowed Iolanda Maggio to take an all-around immersive journey into the world of artisanal liqueurs with an Abruzzese heart, discovering Genziana, Ratafià, Gin and bitter…

In Abruzzi dialect, “Scuppoz” is an onomatopoeic word that recalls the popping of glasses during a festive toast. Hence the name of this company that produces artisanal liqueurs near Teramo, in Campli. We are welcomed for the visit by Anna Iannetti, daughter-in-law of founder Benito Cicconi, wife of his son Adriano. Benito, passionate about herbs and infusions, created the first laboratory in the 1970s. The company was then officially born in 1982 in Valle Castellana, Frazione Colle, near Cippo 592 (number shown on the wooden boxes for the company’s packaging). The boundary stones divided the Kingdom of the Church from the Bourbon state.

Anna Iannetti, the warm soul of Scuppoz

Anna Iannetti, ScuppozAnna Iannetti Is an overflowing river of enthusiasm and overwhelming passion. Scuppoz is her but like the roar of a waterfall that hollows out even the hardest stones. With her determination she proudly tells us about the family production.

Proud of the naturalness of the liquors produced

Anna tells us about the gentian which he grows and produces. He explains how gentian is one of the most protected shrub plants on Italian soil. How it is rare and endangered, so much so that it is protected by Law 45 of 1979. “There is the penalty. If you are found collecting gentian you not only get a big fine but you also get a few days in jail. That, along with the moss, holds the earth together where it’s all rock underneath, otherwise it landslides downhill.” he says in his crystal clear, fast speech.

The Gentian

Cultivation Gentian Scuppoz

Gentian is considered the most bitter plant in nature. It takes 12 years for a plant to produce seeds in order to reproduce, and out of every 1,000 seeds a seedling is born, just to understand how valuable it is. The seeds also take more than a year to germinate. Seedlings then need 5-6 years to reach maturity and only around 10-12 years does the first flowering occur. “So how to do that? We could have imported it but we wanted to grow it. We identified a perfect plot of land at 2,000 meters, but bureaucracy was also getting in our way. We women, however, are stubborn! – And her eye darts visibly and complicitly – When we set our minds to something, no one can take it away from us. And we did it. Ours was the first cultivation of gentian in Italy, about a decade ago.”

It would take a specification for artisanal liquor

Scuppoz Gentian

Gentian has so many properties including febrifuge, tonic, vermifuge and aids digestion. “Shepherds noticed this – continues – Those who took the sheep on transhumance. They noticed that the sheep were all intent on licking the gentian plant, chewing the roots. That’s why we gave the name Sheep Gentian to ours.”

“The specifications covering spirits and liqueurs in Italy were designed for large-scale distribution – Anna decisive continues – , we don’t fit in because our liquors contain less sugar, less of everything, few ingredients. We are working for it to be approved A new specification dedicated to artisanal spirits That still does not exist. Because these traditions need to be protected.”

Anna ScuppozAnna continues, a true river in flood: “Our liquors we want them “the way they used to be”” clean. Ugly. The color is not corrected with caramel and artificial things. I call our limoncello ugly, too, because it’s very clear and in the light it gets whiter and whiter. Not like the yellow yellow ones you see in supermarkets. . On this farm everything is natural, we don’t add as much sugar, the wine then is what is made here, Trebbiano.” Anna presses on, aware that there is little time during the visit to tell us everything she would like. “In our production more than 80 percent of what we use comes from local producers.”

Ratafia, an ancient liquor

Ratafia ScuppozHe then tells us about his Ratafià, while his beautiful children Simone and Benedetta politely pass by with small tasting glasses. The name Ratafià comes from the Latin ” ut rata fiat,” let the act be ratified. When still many could neither read nor write contracts and agreements were made with a handshake. The given word carried enormous weight, like a contract before a notary. “People drank this liquor, as red as blood, because it was a blood pact. On one side was the Ratafia on the other side was the gun … and a handshake was enough.” Ratafià exists in many regions of Italy, with sour cherries in Piedmont and Ciociaria. The Scuppoz one is made with black cherries and Montepulciano wine. A harmonious combination of sweetness and the delicate bitterness of the fruit that feels very fresh on tasting.

The cleanliness and sharpness of the flavors distinguishes the entire range, which has expanded over time. Now there is amaretto, star anise that was a must in grandparents’ homes and we used to correct coffee, licorice (we used to suck licorice roots like candy when these were not around. Shepherds always returning from transhumance would give them to children and grandmothers would say “s Suck suck suck then comes the dessert“).

Blended drinking is not forgotten

Wooden Box Gentian Scuppoz liquors abruzzoThere is the line dedicated to mixed drinks such as Scorretto Gin (named for the addition of special flavorings such as Mediterranean herbs, cardamom, rosemary, basil), Bottanico Gin (very botanical, very natural) and Better (“like bitter, only better because we make it better,” says Anna).

In short, to make a long story short. A visit to this distillery is an immersive all-around journey into the world of artisanal liqueurs from the heart of Abruzzo.. Liquors as frank and sincere as the people who make them. People with big hearts and iron wills. Centuries-old traditions intertwined with new tales. One hand holds on to the past and the other rewrites the future so as not to lose continuity with good things that are good for you. The “medicinette” Abruzzese call them precisely.

PRODUCER

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