Every time I visit the Nicodemi farm in Colline Teramane, Abruzzo (above), I am reminded of the first time I stopped at one of Montalcino’s most famous wineries.

Look at my flower garden! The owner would say before taking you to see the vineyards or the winery. Look at my pond!

The vineyards’ proximity to bodies of water and wild woods, he would explain, is a fundamental element in creating biodiversity, one of the keys — we know today — to making wines that transcend good and obtain great.

Back in the 1970s, when some of Italy’s most high-profile estates were just getting started, a few visionary winemakers understood the importance of bodies of water and woods on their properties (or adjacent to their properties).

But today that clairvoyance is paying off in ways that no one expected at the time: prolonged and widespread drought in Italy is prompting some eno- and agri-politicians to call for mandatory reservoirs at all wineries. Some of the more enlightened among them are advocating for consortia to create reservoir systems that will collect and provide water.

When a dream team of U.S. sommeliers and I visited Nicodemi in July, Elena Nicodemi explained how her father built the lake when he purchased the property back in the 1970s. Note the woods on the other side of the water. It would seem her father knew what he was doing.

The wines of Nicodemi are pure in their aromas and flavors, elegant in their body and texture, and transcendent in their balance. When you visit their farm, it’s easy to understand why — and how.

Meticulous organic farming and maniacal attention to vineyard management are the driving forces behind their beautiful wines. And their pond bolsters biodiversity while also providing the precious water the grapes may need in drought conditions.

Over the course of my work as the Abruzzo consortium U.S. ambassador, I’ve been impressed with Elena and her brother Alessandro’s thoughtful approach to viticulture and winemaking. Their farm and their wines — and they — are the apotheosis of what makes Abruzzo wine great.