Tormaresca

Antinori's bet on the south: How Tormaresca redefined Puglia

When Marchese Piero Antinori first traveled through the Murgia in the mid-1990s, he saw what many others had overlooked: a region with ancient grape varieties, calcareous soils, and a terroir potential that was hardly exhausted oenologically. In 1998, the Tuscan Antinori family — rooted in viticulture for over 600 years — bought a large area in Puglia and founded Tormaresca. The name refers to the old sea towers of the region that once guarded the Adriatic. What was considered a daring step into the then-underestimated south at the time proved to be a turning point for Apulian quality viticulture.

Tormaresca is now the only winery with vineyards in both of Puglia's significant wine-growing regions: Tenuta Bocca di Lupo in the Castel del Monte DOC and Masseria Maìme in Salento. Piero Antinori's three daughters, Albiera, Allegra, and Alessia, continue to lead the family business in the 26th generation — Tormaresca included.

Two terroirs, one claim: Vineyards between the Murgia plateau and the Adriatic coast

Bocca di Lupo is located at an altitude of around 300 meters in the hinterland of Minervino Murge, on mineral-rich limestone soils that owe their existence to the proximity to the Vulture volcano in Basilicata. The climate is continental, with strong temperature differences between day and night — ideal for varieties like Aglianico, Nero di Troia, Chardonnay, Fiano, Moscato Reale, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyards cover around 130 to 140 hectares of vineyard area; the winery building made of local stone blends into the barren landscape of the Murgia.

Masseria Maìme, on the other hand, is located in upper Salento, near San Pietro Vernotico, and stretches along the Adriatic coast. On calcareous soil, under intense sun and tempered by the sea breeze, Negroamaro, Primitivo, Sussumaniello, and Fiano grow here. In addition to the vineyards, olive groves and forests belong to the estate. All Tormaresca wines are vinified exclusively from estate-grown grapes. The cellar in Masseria Maìme was designed by architect Fiorenzo Valbonesi and combines a modern winery concept with Apulian building tradition.

Autochthonous as an attitude: Primitivo, Negroamaro, and the strength of the terroir

In the Tormaresca range, the indigenous varieties are the focus. Negroamaro is the soul of the Salento line: as a dry rosé wine Calafuria — with clear fruit and a salty finish — and as a full-bodied red wine. Primitivo shows itself in wines like Torcicoda and Carrubo with deep, dark fruit, round tannin structure, and aging potential. White wines like the Roycello made from Fiano or the Chardonnay Puglia demonstrate that Puglia also delivers precision and depth beyond red wine. The cellar technology — variety-specific, focused on primary fruit and terroir — is intended to make the uniqueness of each location readable, not to over-shape it. Tormaresca sees itself as a bridge between the long history of Apulian viticulture, whose roots reach back to Magna Graecia, and a modern quality standard that has earned the south of Italy respect on the international stage.