Vigneti Del Salento Primitivo di Manduria Leggenda

Vigneti Del Salento Primitivo di Manduria Leggenda is excellent when paired with all meat dishes, first courses, game and mature cheeses, especially if made from sheep or goats’ milk.

The Vesevo cellar falls under the supervision of the Fantini Group. For more information about the group, please consult the About the Producer entry under the Fantini range. With over of 2000 years of history, Campania is a region of ancient winemaking traditions rooted in a territory which - once upon a time - was called “Enotria” (“Land of Wine”) and later became part of what was known as “Magna Graecia”. These wine production areas preceded the arrival of Ulysses, the Mycenaean navigators and the Phoenicians. The wines of Campania were consumed at the best patrician tables in Rome, until the disastrous eruption of the volcano Vesuvius put a (temporary) end to the local cultivation of grapes. Precious archaeological finds also testify to the excellent quality of the local wine, known in ancient times as “the wine of the emperors”. Wine production at Vesevo is conducted under the supervision of two of the most illustrious Italian consultant/winemakers, Alberto Antonini and Filippo Baccalaro. In 2015, Alberto Antonini was named among the top 5 winemakers in the world by Decanter Magazine. He has worked as senior winemaker for some of the most famous wine brands around the world, such as Antinori, Frescobaldi, and E & J Gallo (USA). He also consults for several wineries in 8 different wine-producing countries: Italy, Uruguay, Chile, USA, Armenia, Australia, Canada, and Argentina. Filippo Baccalaro stems from Piedmont but has always loved the south of Italy for its wonderful climate and the great quality of its grapes. He has supervised numerous harvest seasons in France as well as in South Africa, Chile and Australia. He is recognized as one of the most qualified winemakers in Italy and throughout the world and his wines have been rewarded with more than 40 gold medals worldwide. On several occasions he has been on the panel of judges at the London International Wine Challenge as well as for the Italian Association of Winemakers’ best winery selection at Vinitaly.

The production area is situated in the Salento peninsula of Puglia. The DOC Primitivo di Manduria wine represents the highest expression of this grape from Puglia. The grapes are carefully selected from the low-yielding bush vines “alberelli”. These vines are over 100 years old and grow in a red soil rich in iron oxides upon a layer of calcareous rock. The combination of these elements produces a wine of great richness and complexity.

After separation from the lees, the malolactic fermentation takes place in stainless-steel tanks. Ageing follows in American and French oak barriques for the next 12 months.

The slightly overripe grapes are de-stemmed and crushed before the maceration/fermentation takes place at controlled temperature, for 10-12 days and with regular pumping overs.