At the end of World War II, when most of the population of Puglia was moving North to work in the big factories near Torino and Milano, Giovanni Battista Cantele, a wine merchant living in the northern city of Imola, moved his family to Salento. The final decision was made by his wife Teresa Manara, who, at the time, barely knew anything about the area but fell in love with Puglia at first sight. She would later become the inspiration for a wine that now bears her name. After studying winemaking in Conegliano, Giovanni's son, Augusto Cantele, started the family winery, Cantine Cantele, with his father and his brother Domenico in 1979. Today, Teresa Manara and Giovanni Battista Cantele’s grandchildren run the winery together: Augusto’s children, Gianni and Paolo; and Domenico’s children, Umberto and Luisa. The Cantele winery is located in Guagnano, in the heart of the DOC where Negro Amaro dominates the landscape.
Location of Vineyard
Situated in the heart of the Mediterranean, Puglia is a land of rare beauty, where vast plains alternate with gentle hills. Salento, the long narrow strip that forms Puglia’s southern peninsula, extends between the Ionian and Adriatic seas. It’s an area rich with ancient olive groves and vines, enchanting beaches and jagged rocky shoreline.
Winemaking Philosophy
At Cantele, the winemaking philosophy has always been the same: To create elegant wines. Cantele is constantly working to change peoples' perception of Puglian wine, and to create wines that elevate the region. The team of winemakers and agronomists accomplish this by harvesting grapes at night in cooler temperatures, and working with primarily indigenous grape varietals from Puglia. The goal is to respect the terroir of the region but at the same time to produce elegant wines. Cantele is currently working to have part of their vineyards converted to organic in the near future. They currently use sustainable practices such as integrated pest control and using as few sulfites as possible.