Rivera

The impressive Castel del Monte, an 800-year-old octagonal hunting lodge built by Frederick II, King of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, gives its name to the wine-growing area, which has been a DOCG appellation since 2011. A landscape dominated by vineyards and olive trees, which descends from the Alta Murgia to the Adriatic Sea. Around 1900 Giuseppe de Corato had already begun to plant vines and olive trees on the large estate near the town of Andria.

In the late 1940s, his son Sebastiano de Corato founded the Rivera Winery and in 1949 bottled his first wine, which was in principle already made in the same way as the top wine, labelled "Falcone" since 1971, and with its many awards, brought the winery to the top of the Apulian wine scene. His son Carlo followed him in the 1980s, by which time Rivera was already one of the figureheads of Apulian viticulture.

Today, Carlo's sons, Sebastiano and Marco, run the estate, focusing on autochthonous grape varieties and the peculiarities of the terroir in the windy north-eastern Puglia. The 75 hectares of vineyards are cultivated in a sustainable manner and cover two estates: Torre di Bocca and Coppa on tufa and limestone soils, which are at up to 230 metres above sea level, but often only 20 kilometres from the coast. Ideal for elegant, finely structured wines made from autochthonous grape varieties. The impressive single-vineyard Lama-dei-Corvi on the rocky soils of the Alta Murgia is home to Chardonnay and Sauvignon vines at 350 metres above sea level.

Today, however, the winery's flagship is the "Puer Apuliae", a magnificent, elegant red wine made from the almost forgotten grape variety Nero di Troia, which, according to legend, was brought back from the Trojan War on a stranded ship of the fighters, a fact that genetic engineers more than doubt. But Italians love their stories. "We are only just beginning to find out what is possible with Nero di Troia," says Marco de Corato, who looks after the vineyards. For a long time, Nero di Troia was considered difficult because it ripens late and developed very strong tannins and high alcohol in the hot regions in southern Puglia, so it was only used as a blending partner.

However, the de Corato family was convinced that Nero di Troia could also produce excellent pure varietal wines here in the somewhat cooler, windier north on the calcareous soils. The best clones were selected from old vines still grown on the classic pergola of the Murgia and replanted using cordon and Guyot training, densely planted. The Puer Apuliae was born, a pure Nero di Troia, matured in small wooden barrels. Its vines grow in a solitary position at 230 metres above sea level, where the Murgia highlands slowly merge with the Andria plain.

In the modernized cellar Rivera uses a mix of modern technology and different sizes of wooden barrels, as well as the advice of the renowned oenologist Marco Bernabei from Tuscany. Under his guidance, the influence of the terroir, as well as elegance and finesse are brought out. Characteristics that have long distinguished Rivera wines. Especially Rupicolo (from Montepulciano and Nero di Troia), Cappellaccio (Aglianico in purezza) and Puer Apuliae (100% Nero di Troia) are always rewarded with high awards. SUPERIORE.DE

"Rivera is one of the most important wineries in Puglia in terms of image and quality. I was able to taste through two vintages of recent releases and was delighted by the two top-shelf wines (the Puer Apuliae and Il Falcone Riserva) from the 2009 vintage. To my palate, these are two of the finest wines ever made by Rivera. Rivera has overwhelmingly mastered the difficult art of making great wine from the finicky Nero di Troia variety. Because of its thin skin, the grape often suffers from mold and downey mildew. But Rivera has gained experience over the years to lessen the impact of these issues."Robert Parker