Castel di Salve has been owned by generations of the same two families the Marras and the Winspeares, at one time the Francesco Winspeare’s Grandfather had a French winemaker (1885) and at another the whole operation was to cease due to the fact that Francesco W’s Father thought beer would be the drink of choice amongst the young! Luckily Francesco M and Francesco W, who graduated 17 years ago, decided to take on the and combine the two families vineyards and cellar and return them to former their former glory.
After careful restoration of the ancient buildings and meticulous work in the vineyard the wines were becoming more and more interesting, and with a commitment for local varietals and a forward thinking attitude to the wine market, Castel di Salve have become a standard-bearer for Puglianese wine. Through clonal selection and experimentation in the winery the product improves with every vintage. The Estate is in Lecce and is most southerly estate in Puglia, and should you venture down to these parts a warm and generous welcome is always offered.
A blend of 40% Garganega, 30% Trebbiano and 30% Malvasia Bianca, hand harvested and fermented at 16 degrees C to retain elegance and structure.
100% Negroamaro which has undergone 10 days of skin maceration and 6 months of ageing before release.
80% Negroamaro and 20% Malvasia Nera di Lecce, once fermented the wine is aged in stainless steel for 8 months, with a further 4 months in bottle.
100% Sangiovese and aged for 14 months on tank and bottle before release
50% Negroamaro and 50% Montepulciano, the later being aged in oak for 11 months and the former having 11 months in tank. The wine is blended and bottled for a further 5 months ageing.
45% Primitivo, 45% Montepulciano and 10% Malvsia near di Lecce, fermentation and 12 months in allier oak before a further 12 months ageing in tank and 5 months in bottle.