Torrevento

From ice cream seller in New York to pioneer of Apulian wine culture

The history of Torrevento begins in 1913 with a 16-year-old and a ship named "Hamburg". Francesco Liantonio, grandfather of the current president, left Apulia for New York, worked there in an ice factory, and returned in 1923 with a modest fortune and a clear plan. He settled in Palo del Colle, grew grapes, and traded in extra virgin olive oil. In 1948, together with his brother Domenico, he acquired a former 17th-century Benedictine monastery in the Torre del Vento area — along with the surrounding 57 hectares of vineyards. This laid the geographical core that still gives the winery its character today.

In 1950, Gaetano Liantonio took over the legacy, renovated the monastery estate, and set up the first own wine cellar, the Vinicola Torrevento. The decisive modernization boost followed in 1989, when Francesco Liantonio — then still a lecturer in marketing and trade at the University of Bari — took over the management and founded Torrevento Srl. Under him, the vineyards were expanded, the cellar equipment was renewed, and Leonardo Palumbo was hired as an oenologist, whose signature made Torrevento internationally known.

Karst, wind, and certified responsibility

The winery is located in the heart of the Alta Murgia National Park, on the stony limestone plateau north of Bari, at altitudes between 400 and 600 meters — about 13 kilometers from the Adriatic coast. The constantly blowing wind, which gave the region and the winery their name ("Torre del Vento", Tower of the Wind), naturally ventilates the vines and reduces the pressure of fungal diseases. The lime-rich clay soils and the Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cool winters provide the tension that brings Apulian wines to a high level. Today, Torrevento cultivates around 500 hectares throughout Apulia.

Sustainability at Torrevento is not a marketing term, but certified practice: the winery holds the Equalitas certification — one of the first wineries in Italy to receive this standard — as well as IFS Food and CSQA. Weather station-supported irrigation and plant protection management, integrated cultivation according to SQNPI, and a blockchain-based traceability system from the vineyard to the bottle show how consistently this ambition is implemented. In 2019, Gambero Rosso named Torrevento "Sustainable Winery of the Year".

Indigenous grape varieties, clear signature — from entry-level wine to Riserva

Torrevento sees itself as an advocate for Apulian native grape varieties: Nero di Troia, Primitivo, Negroamaro, Bombino Bianco and Nero, Aglianico. The range breadth and style are clearly tiered — from accessible everyday wines with dense fruit and a warm body to the aged Riserva cuvées that show depth and aging potential. The Vigna Pedale, a Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva DOCG, has repeatedly earned the winery the Tre Bicchieri of Gambero Rosso and is considered the benchmark for the variety. In the Primitivo wines — from the Primitivo di Manduria DOC to the Appassimento made from dried grapes — the range is particularly evident: full-bodied dark fruit, spicy depth, and a finish that makes the Mediterranean warmth of the Murgia and Salento palpable. The monastery cellars, carved into the rock, still serve as the heart of winemaking today — a place where oldest tradition and modern cellar technology meet.