Masseria Li Veli

Orion here does not mean the constellation, but a border. The Greek "oros" means edge, dividing line – and that is exactly what this path once was: the ancient road that separated Byzantine lands from Lombard lands, today a quiet country lane right next to the Primitivo vineyards of Masseria Li Veli in Cellino San Marco. History you can feel under your feet. 100% Primitivo, harvested at the end of August, limestone-clay soils, 10 to 20 year old vines – partly Alberello, the ancient Apulian bush vine cultivation style. Fermentation in steel, six months in barrique. Roberto Cotarella holds the line.

The name reveals more than any label. Passamante – the forest right next to the Negroamaro vineyards of Masseria Li Veli near Cellino San Marco. A forest that bears its name from times gone by: "passare" and "amante" – the lover who steals away here unobserved. There are hardly any more romantic names for a wine. 100% Negroamaro, the great grape variety of Salento, on calcareous clay, 10 to 20-year-old vines, harvested in mid-September. Fermentation in temperature-controlled steel, six months in barrique – no more, no less. The Falvo family, who have been at the masseria since 1999, with Roberto Cotarella as Oenologist, do not experiment here. They make authentic wine far from the mainstream.

"Susu lu somariellu!" – run, little donkey! That’s what they used to shout in Salento when the young Susumaniello vines bore such an exuberant crop that the pack animal could barely move forward. The name stuck. So did the grape variety – albeit only just. Susumaniello had almost been forgotten before northern Salento, around Brindisi, led the way in its rediscovery. Masseria Li Veli is one of those estates that takes this rare variety seriously. Clay-sand soils with a limestone subsoil, cordon speronato training, hand-harvested at the end of September. Temperature-controlled stainless steel vats, aged in French oak barrels.

Apulia is the heel of the boot – surrounded by two seas, the Adriatic to the east and the Ionian Sea to the west. Cool breezes moderate the summer heat, the sandy limestone soil stores the heat of the day and releases it again at night. Fiano Minutolo grows in this climate – also called "Latina Bianca" here in Apulia – on vines over twenty years old from the Masseria Li Veli. The nickname "Minutolo" describes what the eye sees: Small, compact berries with concentrated flavours. Harvest at the beginning of September, fermentation at a maximum of 16°C in steel, ageing in steel. No interventions that remove the wine from its origin.

Verdeca is a grape variety that hardly anyone knows – and that is no coincidence. For centuries, it was used as the base material for vermouth, was rarely vinified as a single variety and was considered too unspectacular for its own bottle. Yet its history is an ancient one: Greek in origin, it probably arrived in Apulia with the first settlers and became native to the sandy limestone soils of Salento. Masseria Li Veli has given it a stage with the Askos project – and the wine critics have responded. Askos Verdeca is the only Apulian white wine ever to be honoured by Gambero Rosso with its Tre Bicchieri.

An askos was a small Greek clay vessel dating from the 1st century BC – an ancient Decanter, designed for pouring wine. Masseria Li Veli has made this name the symbol of an entire project: the rescue, research and promotion of Apulian grape varieties that had almost vanished from the region’s collective memory. Susumaniello is one of them. For the Askos, Li Veli uses exclusively grapes from plots with particular suitability, cultivated according to the rules of an ancient tradition. Vines over 20 years old – partly trained in the traditional Alberello style, partly as Cordone speronato. Clay-sand soils with limestone deposits, hand-harvested at the end of September. Fermentation in French oak vats at controlled temperatures. Maturation in barriques and large French oak barrels.

Orion here does not mean the constellation, but a border. The Greek "oros" means edge, dividing line – and that is exactly what this path once was: the ancient road that separated Byzantine lands from Lombard lands, today a quiet country lane right next to the Primitivo vineyards of Masseria Li Veli in Cellino San Marco. History you can feel under your feet. 100% Primitivo, harvested at the end of August, limestone-clay soils, 10 to 20 year old vines – partly Alberello, the ancient Apulian bush vine cultivation style. Fermentation in steel, six months in barrique. Roberto Cotarella holds the line.

Verdeca is a grape variety that hardly anyone knows – and that is no coincidence. For centuries, it was used as the base material for vermouth, was rarely vinified as a single variety and was considered too unspectacular for its own bottle. Yet its history is an ancient one: Greek in origin, it probably arrived in Apulia with the first settlers and became native to the sandy limestone soils of Salento. Masseria Li Veli has given it a stage with the Askos project – and the wine critics have responded. Askos Verdeca is the only Apulian white wine ever to be honoured by Gambero Rosso with its Tre Bicchieri.