Gran Sasso is part of Gruppo Fantini, an important, quality-minded Italian wine producer, based in Ortona, Abruzzo with the mission of giving value to the indigenous grapes of the region. Gruppo Farnese was founded in 1994 by Valentino Sciotti (commercial director), Camillo De Iuliis (previously general director, who passed away in 2017) and Filippo Baccalaro (head winemaker). 

The partners purchased an old and historic cooperative winery from bankruptcy court and completely renovated it, installing state of the art equipment. The winery was renamed Gran Sasso Rodea - being in the town of Roseto degli Abruzzi, RoDeA.

The team put into place a “Quality Project” early on, a strategic partnership with the farmers, the former owners of the cooperative. This idea is novel in a region where 85% of wine production is sold in bulk. Growers, instead of being paid by the kilo and producing for quantity, are instead paid by the hectare, according to several factors (exposition, terroir, age of the vineyard, experience of the owner) and in exchange, they must farm according to the advice Farnese’s professional enologists and viticulturists. At a practical level, this means vastly improved vineyard practices, canopy management, pruning, green harvest, limited yields, plus many other tangibles and intangibles that result in healthier and more concentrated grape harvests. 

After the harvest, the grapes go through two completely separate sorting processes, the first for the selection of the bunches and the second for individual berries. This process is almost totally unique in Abruzzo. 

The strategy has been a total success: the farmers are better and more consistently compensated, and the resulting wines are balanced, delicious, and fairly priced.

Gran Sasso is named for Gran Sasso d’Italia (“Big Rock of Italy”), a section of the Italian Apennines that runs through Abruzzo and which contains the highest peak of the entire Appennini, Corno Grande which reaches almost 3,000 meters. The mountains - and the nearby Adriatic Sea - play a key role in the quality of Abruzzesi wines, creating a very specific local climate with low temperatures at night and high temperatures during the day. During the winter, snow helps to protect the vines from fungus and disease, making treatments less necessary and sustainable farming possible.