Is the last provocation of Accademia dei Racemi. A wine to comunicate the discomfort of Apulia helpless assisting at its own colonization, in the moment in which its identity and typicalness appear with honour on the international market.

The employment of Apulian grapes and wines for the production of wine in many other regions implies the use (and sometimes the abuse) of the grape varietal terminology. Many of these names, such as “Primitivo”, “Negramaro” and “Nero di Troia”, can be found on labels of wines bottled outside Apulia, therefore the doubtful origins of these wines -now present in the market in huge amounts- confuse the consumers. Now that the prejudice that saw the Apulian wine as a blending wine is finally gone, it has achieved many recognitions on price and quality bases as if the recognition of the wine high quality (without taking the price into account) can only be achieved by some other regions. In spite of that, Apulian wine is now present and appreciated in many restaurants all over the world for its absolute quality.

Apulia has not only given wine to the other regions. A few years ago -before the Regional Body for Agriculture put an end on it- the rights to replant thousands of hectares have been given to other regions causing the final extinction of several Apulian vineyards to the advantage of vineyards in other regions. This phenomenon particularly effected the “Apulian alberello” (small centuries-old vineyards) planted according to the ancient Greek way which has been handed down from father to son. These kind of small ancient vineyards can be described as free plants in free lands because no support piles or strands are needed to increase their production. These ancient “viticulture world monuments” outlive in our land, fighting not only against the inclemency of the weather but also against the financial incentives that the European Community gave to those who got rid of them for good.

Now that people have discovered the taste of full, rich, sun wines, ancient like those from Apulia, flocks of capitalists are buying up vineyards, lands, farms and farmhouses in order to trade Apulian wines and therefore boast themselves as Apulian wine growers. Unfortunately, they “do a land-office business” thanks to the ancient but weakened viticulture, to an oenology that yielded to prejudice and was not able to renew itself and to a passively experienced European policy that has always encouraged overproduction, the annihilation of the uniqueness of the products and that -to add insult to injury- nowadays gives regional funds to outsider capitalists. Thus, the efforts to withstand and to preserve the vineyard in the hard times of distillations, to cultivate the crops in the sand obtaining small amounts of fruit, to keep alive over 50-year-old plants, which berries add complexity, strength and intensity to the wines aroma, have been in vain.
How can a wine communicate this suffering and encourage the people to withstand or even fight for their rights? 

If this wine is produced by a group of innovators, by people who work with passion for their “Primitivo wine” and for the other, almost disappeared, wine varieties being able to make them appreciated all over the world; if this wine recalls that fervour, instinct and passion for the territory; if it is made of grapes that taste of history and traditions, then its intrinsic meaning can also be gathered through the glass…

If this rich, full, fruity wine is also fine, smooth, elegant, palatable for everyone and above all with prices at everybody’s reach, it works as a message, as a manifesto, as an evidence that needs to be handed down to support the people from Apulia together with their viticulture.