Vigneti del Salento

From the Abruzzo departure to the Apulian flagship

Vigneti del Salento is the Apulian heart of the Fantini Group — a company that Valentino Sciotti founded in 1994 in Ortona, Abruzzo, together with two partners. From the beginning, the stated goal was unusual for the Italian south of those years: an end to anonymous bulk wine transport to the north, and instead, varietally pure bottled wines with a clearly recognizable origin. From this approach grew one of the largest and at the same time most carefully structured wine companies in Italy. In 2013, the Fantini Group acquired the Vigneti del Salento brand — one of the largest investments at the time in the course of their southern expansion — and made it the figurehead for Apulian quality viticulture. Under the umbrella of the group, wineries in Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, Sicily, and Abruzzo produce today, but the Salento peninsula remains the anchor for the deepest Primitivos and most characterful Negroamaros.

The work of Vigneti del Salento focuses on western Salento, in the province of Taranto around Sava and Manduria — the core area of the Primitivo di Manduria denomination. The vineyards mostly belong to local winegrowing families; the cellar team around oenologist Filippo Baccalaro and cellar master Danilo Gizzi has been working with the same growers for years, specifically selects the best parcels within each vineyard according to clone, slope, and vine age, and manages the cultivation directly — including consistent yield reduction per vine. The focus is on Alberello bush vines, traditionally free-standing and bush-trained, some of which are a hundred years old. Their deep roots tap into the characteristic red clay soils of the Terra Rossa and ensure water reserves for the plant even in long dry periods. Between the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea, nocturnal sea breezes moderate the daytime heat and ensure temperature amplitudes that preserve acidity and aromatics. The traditional dry stone walls — “I Muri” — are more than just the namesake for the entry-level line: They mark the parcel structure, created from the stones that were cleared from the ground when the vineyards were laid out, and still shape the landscape of the Salento today.

In vinification, Vigneti del Salento relies on careful selection in the vineyard as the most important quality lever; the cellar technology remains subservient to the terroir without over-shaping it. The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand — the manageable size of the family-run parcels allows all vineyards to be harvested within a few days, thus utilizing optimal ripening moments.

Three levels, one clear signature: Primitivo, Negroamaro, and more

The range is divided into three clearly graduated lines. The I Muri series — named after the dry stone walls — includes Primitivo, Negroamaro, and a white wine made from autochthonous grape material and forms the accessible entry into the Salento terroir. The Zolla line draws on older vines and shows more density, structure, and depth. At the top are Vigne Vecchie and the limited Leggenda bottling: wines from the oldest Alberello stocks between Sava and Manduria, which are regularly rated in renowned international wine guides and specialist publications. In addition, there is a Chardonnay under the Zolla line as well as the Ritorna Tre Autoctoni, a cuvée from three Apulian ancient grape varieties — a commitment to varietal diversity beyond the dominant Primitivo. The Fantini Group has been awarded several times as the best Italian producer at the Grand International Wine Award MUNDUS VINI since 2017. Those who drink the wines of Vigneti del Salento get Apulia in its most concentrated form: dark fruit, warm spice, velvety tannin — and in the best case, the mineral reverberation of a soil that has been bearing wine since antiquity.