Azienda Vinicola Cantele

About Winery and Wines

Every one of has a story to tell, just like a wine. The story of a wine can be told through generations, seasons, memories, hopes, and vines. And our eyes never seem to stray from those vines as they bask in the sun and we contemplate the heavens and the cycles of life. This land existed long before anyone left a footprint on its soil. Its memory stretches back thousands of years. It’s the same land where our grapes ripen, year and year, in the sunshine of summer, just like they have for millennia. You could call our story a love story, one that our family has lived since the end of the Second World War. A story that interweaves passion and memory in the cradle of Italy’s south, a story that has Puglia’s beautiful Salento peninsula as its backdrop.

“We decided to implement an integrated farming system that allows us to constantly monitor weather conditions. Thanks to this protocol, we can predict if and when our vineyards will be affected by fungal diseases or insects. As a result, we can limit the use of fungicides and pesticides and use organic methods instead to improve the health of the plants”. Beginning with the 2004 vintage, we decided to make a contribution to scientific research by partnering with the Italy’s Center for Food Science (ISPA-CNR) and the department of agriculture at the University of Bari. The initial subject of our joint studies was the identification of indigenous yeasts on the skins of Negroamaro grapes. More recently, our focus has shifted to Brettanomyces and its impact on wine aromas and flavors. The same year, together with our vineyard manager Cataldo Ferrari (one of the region’s leading grape growers), we decided to increase the quality of our wines by minimizing the environmental impact of farming practices. Our estate-owned vineyards, as well as the vineyards we manage, are farmed using integrated agriculture practices. We constantly monitor weather and soil conditions. The data we collect are used in predictive modeling that determines the best strategies for bolstering vineyard health. Every effort is made to prevent and combat vine disease using agricultural, physical, organic, and biotechnological means.