Territory, product, man: 3 signature DOCG Castel del Monte wines
The Torrevento winery is a symbol of Apulian vinegrowing. It is situated in Corato, to the north of Bari. We are in the Murge hills surrounding the Castel del Monte, the fortress built by Frederick II and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The history of the winery began when Francesco Liantonio, the grandfather of the current president, emigrated to New York in 1913. After more than 10 years of hard work he came back and, thanks to his earnings, in 1948 he bought a fifteenth-century building complex and 57 hectares of vineyards in the Torre del Vento district. Today there are 250 hectares, about fifty of which have just begun production.
The native grapes
The Liantonio family have close links with the old Apulian traditions and are committed to local varieties: especially Bombino Bianco, Bombino Nero and Nero di Troia. The recent acquisition of a further 200 hectares in the Primitivo and Salento areas, where Negroamaro reigns, has enabled them to offer consumers at Torrevento a range of the main native grapes and regional designations.
Castel del Monte wines: Ottagono and Veritas
The top of the range includes the “Castel del Monte DOCG” wines, which are the blend of “Territory, Man and Product” at the centre of the winery’s philosophy. These are the Vigna Pedale Castel del Monte Riserva; Ottagono Castel del Monte Nero di Troia and Veritas Bombino Nero Castel del Monte: two reds and a rosé that have become world legends of Italian winemaking. “In 1994 we were the first winery in Apulia to believe in the potential of Nero di Troia, bottling it as a monovarietal”, explains Francesco Liantonio. “The first wine was the Vigna Pedale, which gets its name from the district of the same name. Then Ottagono came along, in homage to Frederick II’s castle. Our commitment to Bombino Nero has produced the rosé Veritas».
Riserva Vigna Pedale and the others
The Riserva Vigna Pedale is the result of 8 months of ageing in steel and 14 months in the barrel. It has an intense ruby-red colour with garnet highlights and a bouquet of small red fruits. The taste is full, rich and well-orchestrated. The Riserva Ottagono ages for 8 months in concrete and then rests for 14 months in large oak barrels. It has a ruby-red colour with purplish highlights, a pervasive nose of dark berries and delicate spicy notes. It is a red wine with great structure and smooth tannins. Veritas is the only DOCG rosé in Italy, after fermentation with soft pressing, it ages for 4 months in steel. It has pleasantly fruity aromas and a fresh, rounded and balanced body.
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