Puglia: Cantine Paradiso – Posta Piana Salice Salentino 2018

The Paradiso family has been cultivating vines in Puglia, a land of ancient winemaking traditions, for 3 generations. In 1954, the grandfather Angelo was a regular farmer, one of many in the Apulian countryside, waking up when it was dark to work the land until it was dark again. Together with his 4 children, he built his dream: a cellar which even today forms the nucleus around which the entire winery has developed. Now, the grandson Angelo continues the work started more than 60 years ago. He cares for the family estates, all in the Cerignola countryside, and with the selection of wines to be produced from year to year.

The vines of Cantine Paradiso extend over the Daunia territory, in the Basso Tavoliere, which is bordered to the north by the Gargano promontory, the mountains of the Subappennino Dauno to the west, and the gulf of Manfredonia protects the fields from the cold winds of the Balkans to the east. Vines here have grown luxuriantly since ancient times – in fact, it’s even said that Diomedes, the Greek hero of the Trojan War, landed in Daunia and planted vine shoots that were imported from Asia Minor, which gave rise to Nero di Troia, the native Apulian vine par excellence. In 1800 Cerignola exported Nero di Troia to France, dominating the wine market. Today, the primary grape varieties are native grapes including Nero di Troia, Negramaro, and Primitivo.