Tenuta Bocca di Lupo winery
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When you stroll past German supermarket shelves, it is clear that a lot of mass-produced wine is made in Puglia. Since 1998, the Marchesi Antinori and their winemaker Renzo Cotarella have been proving that there is another way at the visionary Tormaresca and Bocca di Lupo wineries.
Italy's most famous winegrowing family, the Marchesi Antinori may have been producing wine in Tuscany for eleven generations, but they have always been interested in other winegrowing regions and have also invested at some point when they saw the opportunity to create something visionary. When they decided to acquire 500 (!) hectares of land in Apulia in 1998, this was exactly what they had in mind. At that time, the wines of Puglia were hardly recognised in the rest of the wine world. "Puglia, which lies between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, was long known for quantity and not quality. This has changed recently and the local terroir is now experiencing a real renaissance. Puglia is criss-crossed by wine routes and modern wineries are springing up all over the region. Wines such as Primitivo, Negroamaro and Aglianico are being recognised again. This is how Piero Antinori describes the changes that have taken place, not least due to his commitment.
Back then, Piero Antinori and his most important sparring partner, the oenologist Renzo Cotarella, started with two wineries, which they combined under the name Tormaresca. One is the Tenuta Bocca di Lupo in the heart of the DOC Castel del Monte and the other is located in Masseria Maìme in one of the most beautiful regions of northern Salento. Tenuta Carrubo in the DOC Manduria was added later.
Tenuta Bocca di Lupo also started out under the name Tormaresca, but today it is an independent winery. The vines grow there at around 300 metres above sea level in a very challenging climate, but this only makes the wines better. Here you will find barren, typical karst soils over which the wind often whistles mercilessly. However, the indigenous grape varieties that Antinori and Renzo Cotarella were interested in are used to this. Aglianico, Nero di Troia and Fiano Pugliese, all organically farmed, produce elegant, lively and vertical wines here. "I believe that we have achieved excellent results in Puglia in terms of the quality of the wine, but we have also made an important contribution to the region's reputation and vibrant culture," says Renzo Cotarella.
© Images: Tenuta Bocca di Lupo winery
