Wines and Mysteries of Castel del Monte

October 1241, the monks of Saint-Vivant priory in Burgundy begin the delimitation of land parcels where will be born, among the others, the future Romanée-Conti vineyard.  It’s one of the key moments for the history of viticulture in France.  Little more than a year before, in january 1240, at 6 degrees of latitude and 1500 km to the south, another fundamental episode occurred, this time in one of the most representative italian regions for mediterraneity, the Puglia : Frederick II of Swabia, Emperor for 30 years of the Sacred Roman Empire (1220-1250), writes to one of his officers in Capitanata (the present Foggia province) to order the build up of Castel del Monte, the manor that 7 centuries and half will be reproduced on the italian 1 cent coin.

Place of science and culture

The choice of mentioning two events so close in time but so distant physically is due to the fact that both, with all relevant proportions, represent a symbol for viticulture in both places.  Certainly, in Burgundy we are at myth level.  In Puglia, 3 out of 4 regional DOCG  and one DOC are named after Castel del Monte. Its symbolic vine, the Nero di Troia, is an actor that seems suffering a kind of inferiority complex towards the most famous “brothers” primitivo and negroamaro, but as any passionate connoisseur will confirm, shines for elegance, structure, long life and ductility. It’s a mystery that this is possible.  It seems it recalls the mysteries hovering around the monument, made of local stone, marbles and coral stones, UNESCO Heritage since 1996. It was believed to be a militar and defense building, but Frederick II actually wanted it as a place of science and culture. In the name of that Stupor Mundi, wonder of the world, that was one of the many names associated with the Emperor. 

Four historical farms

Here is the idea for the theme of this tour : wines and mysteries of Castel del Monte, seen through the magnifying lens of four historical farms  having a factor in common with Frederich Roger Hohenstaufen, all laying around the hill where, at 540 mts above sea level, the manor was built.  The position is strategic : it dominates to the north the plains that slopes towards the Adriatic sea, while to the south it watches over the present Alta Murgia Park.

All symbols of a land of red wines, the north of Puglia Murge, a wide carsic upland characterized by calcareous soil (with sea sediments in the lowest side, rocks on surface in the inside) and big temperature variations.  Reds like Castel del Monte Nero di Troia wines (from now on will be called CdM and NdT), DOCG Reserve, but also CdM Red Reserve (with not more than 35% of other vines, mainly aglianico and montepulciano). Rosè wine, like CdM Bombino Nero DOCG, produced with the black grape of the same name.  In this case also, something special in a land that for Rosè wines is mainly known for the Salento Negroamaro ones.

Rivera

The approaching walk to the castle starts from the furthest farm (just to say, since it can be seen from the bridges of A14 Highway, from which it seems a Lego brick).  Few km from Andria, that before the creation of BAT province was the biggest minor town in Italy, with little less than 100.000 inhabitants, there is one of the vineyards that wrote the history of Puglia wines.  The first connection with Frederick II is in the name : Rivera was a noble family from the Abruzzo region, whose founder was captain of the Emperor that gave him the farm as a gift.  The farm was bought in 1921 by another founder, Giuseppe De Corato.

That year starts a work that will bring Sebastiano De Corato, son of Giuseppe, in 1950 to bottle Riviera farm wines, instead of selling it loose in northern Italy (common behaviour, this, to all Puglia farms having at least 50 years of age). So was born the Rosso Stravecchio della Casa  (Home Very Old red), a blend of Nero di Troia and other black grape variety that in 1971, when Castel del Monte DOC was introduced, will be named Il Falcone, that recalls  the passion of Emperor Frederick II for falcon hunting.  The Emperor nickname Puer Apuliae – boy of Puglia, will be chosen starting from 1997 for the present flagship product (by the winemaker Leonardo Palumbo, today replaced by Angelo Mauriello), a CdM NdT DOCG Reserve (14 months in barrique, so called since 2011, year of establishment of the three denominations), a wine remarkable for structure and elegance, depth and long life.  It is grown in a vineyard planted on ground where stones were removed and that in the past was crossed by herds going to and from Abruzzo according to the ancient use of transumanza, animal seasonal transfer.

Sebastiano De Corato welcomes us for a tour in cellar.  He represents the fourth generation of his family, and with kindness and passion tells history and anecdotes, shows old pictures and bottles aged 1950 (plus a “test” dated 1949) showing  still vitality in the “vertical” tastings arranged in special occasions. He presents also the farm new arrivals, two classic method sparkling wine made of white Bombino and black Bombino, and Fabri, a Nero di Troia Rosé at its second year of existence, dedicated to the memory of his brother Fabrizio, who died suddenly three years ago.

Giancarlo Ceci 

From and Emperor  to another noble family, from a medieval place to another. Ten minutes by car direction east – south east, and we reach Giancarlo Ceci Agrinatura farm.  Still in Andria territory, is a two faces place: on one side a farm that was already modern when it was founded in 1988, when the present owner graduated (8th generation),  assisted by the winemaker Lorenzo Landi.  On the other side the Sant’Agostino farm, named after the monks of St Augustin order that acquired it in 1523 but built up in 1000 by the Order of Teutonic Knights that used ita s a place of meeting and prayer before leaving to the Crusades.

The Ceci family since 1819, when Consalvo bought it to add it to the wide family properties owned since 1600.  Giancarlo has a noble but not haughty behaviour, he tells proudly of the roots of his family and enthusiastically of the work of winemaker.  He smiles when tells of his love for nature since he was a kid, when he used to play in the wood of the farm, one of the wood oasis survived today  of what was once the huge wood surrounding in 1200 Castel del Monte. He almost gets angry, but just for a moment, when he speaks of Nero di Troia, when he defines it very important to the national wine scenario but today still non well known, as expression of complexity and elegance that must only be discovered (“Felice Ceci” Reserve, 14 months in tonneau, a label outstand among red, rosé and a Fiano wine – “Clara”, dedicated to his daughter – of great personality).

Santa Lucia

We proceed along the same road and enter Corato territory, the last town of Bari province (47.000 inhabitants) that shares with Andria the area next to the castle.  Everybody knows the concept of quality/price ratio, but if there existed a quality/number of labels ratio the Santa Lucia farm would be on the top of an ideal ranking. It is located near the town center in a location named after the saint that protects the sight. It was started in 1822 when the Perrone family, coming from Trani, acquired it before moving to Naples where they started a long tradition of jurists and, after the adoption by a Capano relative, they added the present second last name. 

When we meet the owner Roberto Perrone Capano, we immediately remember his neapolitan country fellow Luciano de Crescenzo, who used to say that the problem of men is that they look for a way to make life longer, while they should try to make it wider.  He did it indeed : beside his work as financial advisor, he was a brilliant sportsman, member of the Italian sailing team at the Seoul Olympic Games, he is a wine producer and recently he became AIS sommelier.  Here everything has a story, stones too. Literally. The dry walls surrounding the small farm were built by a worker grateful to Roberto gran-gran’s father, a judge, who decided to reopen a case of theft having the guy, who was unjustly arrested,  released. His grandfather acted as mediator between countrymen and landowners during the 1922 riots. The door of his father’s lawyer office was always open. Today Roberto Perrone Capano, with his winemaker Emilia Tartaglione (from Campania too), is well known for the wines whose names referred to vegetals seem to recall the decorations of the keystones in the rooms of Castel del Monte castle top floor. Ribes flower is the CdM Bombino Nero DOCG (one year in barrique plus one year in bottle). A pearl, this, born in the three hectares vineyard called Castigliola, a real cru, blessed by a higher ground humidity, respecting the surrounding area, that provides relief to the plants during the always dryer summers.

Torrevento

At this point the tour turns southwards.  Where the roads are all uphill, the landscape dryer.  The castle is well visible, so as the high pine trees surrounding it. The places have names recalling J.R.R. Tolkien or George R. Martin tales : Fog Tower, Desperate Tower, Wind Tower. That’s Torrevento, the name of the farm born in 1948 when Francesco Liantonio, after leaving Palo del Colle in 1913 to go to New York, comes back to Puglia and with the revenues of years of work in an ice factory, starts a wine and oil trade. The turning point came three years after the end of World War II: an old monastery was acquired and today it is the barrel cellar of a giant of 2,5 millions of bottles/year, with production also in the DOC Primitivo di Manduria and Salice Salentino, driven by Francesco Liantonio who is chairman of Consorzio di Tutela dei Vini di Castel del Monte. 

His partner Alessandra Tedone and Leonardo Palumbo (we meet again!), senior of Puglia winemakers,  tell us all  about the farm. The wines chart is huge, most of it goes abroad. But here as well the symbol wien are made of Nero di Troia. The first is history : the name is Vigna Pedale (CdM Rosso Reserve DOCG), in 1993 was the first Nero di Troia to be bottled pure in Puglia.  It is absolutely a scientific document, since in 30 years its processing changed many times (born only in steel, today undergoes to 12 months in big barrel) and by the bottles still kept in cellar its longevity can be appreciated. 

The second wine is a clear recall to the manor architecture. The name is Ottagono (Octagon), a CdM NdT reserve DOCG (8 months concrete tank plus 12 in big barrel), made of grapes raised in the closest vineyard to the castle (480 meters far) and to the castle is inspired. In particular to the number 8 (like the towers, like the sides, like the rooms on each floor, the number of steps of each tower which is 44 (4+4…). And if we rotate number 8 of 90 degrees here is the infinite symbol.

Infinite are the inspirations coming from a magic place like Castel del Monte. Still surrounded by mystery, it’s part of its history. History, mathematics, geometry.  And then oenology.  This is one of the many passions of Frederick II, who loved mainly Campania wines. Almost 8 centuries later, Puglia producers are inspired by all this and share the same land where Stupor Mundi walked.

Angelo Loreto

Half from Campania, half from Puglia, he commutes from Castellaneta, where Rodolfo Valentino was born and today is Vasco Rossi buen retiro, to Castel del Monte Murgia. Journalist since 2002, worked for “Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno” for 20 years. In 2018 joins AIS inspired by Socrates the philosopher: I know that I do not know. And a world opens in front of him. Sommelier since 2020, wine taster since 2024, the same year he won the 6th edition of the contest “Best Puglia Sommelier”. He gets inspired by the hot Puglia summers, by the music of Bruce Springsteen, and by the eyes and hands of winemakers of whom he loves to tell the stories.