Very intense ruby red colour. On the nose the cherry aromas are intense with hints of prune, pomegranate, clove and dried herbs. A full-bodied warm and delicious wine, with a pleasantly fresh finish.

This is one of the Farnese group’s ventures in Puglia. The wines are made at two wineries in the province of Taranto, on the western flank of Salento, by resident winemaker Danilo Gizzi and consultant winemaker Filippo Baccalaro. Filippo, a native of Piemonte, has been working in Puglia for almost two decades. He was originally attracted by the rich, ripe flavours of the fruit from this region and the possibility of capturing these flavours with minimal use of technology, but a lot of know-how.

The style of the wines – crisp and fresh whites, and soft and generous reds – will be familiar to those who know the other Farnese wines. The flagship wine is the ‘Vigne Vecchie’ Primitivo di Manduria from old bush-vine fruit aged in new French oak for 12 months. It boasts intense aromas of cherries, blackberries and spice coupled with velvety tannins and a lingering finish.

The vineyard sites are nearby the cities of Brindisi and Lecce to the Southeast of Puglia lying close to the Adriatic coast. Here, the warm and always windy climate provide good thermal excursions. This guarantees the ideal conditions for producing the best expression of Salice Salentino wine.

2020 brought a cold spring, delaying budburst and flowering. This was followed by an above average period of rainfall in May and June. With the mistral and north wind persisting for more than 30 days the harvest conditions were superb resulting in excellent grapes.

The grapes were de-stemmed and crushed on their arrival at the winery. Fermentation took place at controlled temperatures for 8-10 days with regular pumping over. The wine was then racked off and malolactic fermentation took place in stainless-steel tanks. Maturation took place in used American and French oak barriques for 8-10 months.