Radici Virtuose year III, falling in love with Salento

For the third consecutive year, Gambero Rosso has invited a group of foreign journalists to the heart of Salento. The aim is to introduce an area of stunning beauty, its great wines, and its extra virgin olive oil to an ever-expanding international audience. This comes at a particularly significant moment in its history: the millennia-old cultivation of the olive tree, with its centuries-old plants, has been jeopardized by an irreversible disease, “Xylella Fastidiosa,” which has changed the landscape of Salento in just a few years. However, this territory has shown resilience and has rethought itself, and Radici Virtuose, a program funded by Mipaaf, aimed to demonstrate to the world that the ancient vocation of this land does not stop due to a dramatic incident. While the old olive trees make way for new resistant varieties, wine is the driving force behind local production. Thus, the three Consortia—the Primitivo di Manduria, the Salice Salentino, and Brindisi—united in the DAJS, the Ionian-Salento agricultural district, along with the Consortium of Puglia Igp Oil, have decided to host, for the third consecutive year, a group of journalists and communicators from around the world to tell the story of the territory, its beauty, and its extraordinary products.

If you bring eight passionate wine writers for three days to visit the most significant realities of this territory, in contact with the protagonists of the wine and gastronomic scene, and if  you show them the artistic and natural wonders of Salento, you will have created ambassadors who will communicate about the territory, its protagonists, its wines, and the Mediterranean charm of this land for years to come. This is what happened in the past two editions and has once again been confirmed this year.

And here are this year’s guests:
Sangmi Kim: A South Korean food and wine journalist based in Seoul, she is passionate about the Italian gastronomic scene, frequently appearing in both industry and general media in her country, and she also focuses on wine education.

Vincent Ochieng, aka “the Captain”: From Nairobi, Kenya, he writes about travel, gastronomy, and wine, is featured on the country’s most important digital platform, and hosts popular radio programs on lifestyle, gastronomy, fashion, and culture.

Asem Tusupbayeva: A wine marketing expert and passionate taster, she lives in Almaty, Kazakhstan. She writes about food, wine, and travel for Voice Media and is active on all social media. She produces a specialized YouTube channel and has organized popular gastronomic events, tastings, and festivals for over ten years.

Mathias Gade: After years of experience in wine trading and tasting, he transitioned to publishing with the Gourmet magazine of Plaza Publishing Group. He has a remarkable passion for food and wine, experience in sommelier work, and is a great communicator and passionate gourmet.

Jessica Anne Tan: From Singapore, she is a specialized journalist collaborating with the historic trade publication SingaPoured. She has earned international diplomas, including being a certified communicator and ambassador of Italian Wine awarded by Vinitaly. Her reports cover all of Southeast Asia, and she organizes events, product launches, and promotion of Italian wine brands. Writing about wine is her passion.

Kristy Weinz: Originally from Chicago, she now lives among the vineyards of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. An experienced judge in international competitions, she has a strong digital presence with her Kristy’s Wine Travels, collaborates with Vinohead, and is active on all social platforms. She holds a long list of international wine certifications and focuses on education. She has traveled extensively in the world’s major wine regions and has worked in various U.S. wineries.

Rolf Madsen: A Dane with over twenty years of experience in the international wine world, he is a highly regarded wine writer. His articles and books on wine have elevated the level of wine culture in Denmark. He is a member of the committees of numerous international competitions and writes for the magazine Vinexpression.

Mark Dewolf: A Canadian, Mark started as a passionate sommelier and has held prestigious positions in the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS), of which he was also president, and the ASI, the international sommelier association. He has worked for years in education and has been the director and wine writer for numerous publications. He collaborates with prestigious industry publications and organizes successful wine events in his country.

Even at the welcome dinner at Salento Winery Lodge on the eve of the three-day event, an immediate connection was established among the participants, making it clear that these eight professionals would not only make the most of every moment of their tour but would also— as has been the case—form a true “community” in constant contact over time. With one great common denominator: the love for the great wines of Salento.

Day 1: The Primitivo di Manduria

The first day was dedicated to the Primitivo di Manduria. The visit to the newly restored Masseria Samia, its vineyards, and then to the Cantine San Marzano introduced the guests to the territory and its iconic wine. The tasting of San Marzano wines elicited positive comments. Excellent labels and positive remarks on all the wines, especially the Sessantanni Rosé, made from Primitivo grapes, which “was a revelation,” as highlighted by Mathias Gade. The second stop was the Cantina Produttori di Manduria, with its fascinating museum and a series of excellent labels. Here, the Primitivo di Manduria shone in its various interpretations, described as “superlative examples of the grapes and terroir of Manduria,” but the Verdeca del Salento Alice earned “an absolute delight” from many, starting with Kristy Weinz. The afternoon unfolded with a fascinating guided tour of the Salina dei Monaci nature reserve, a precious treasure of biodiversity, discovering the typical Mediterranean flora and fauna and the fragrances that magically reappear in the wines of this land. The day concluded with a visit to Varvaglione and a gourmet dinner where the family tasted the most significant labels of the company. Here, a series of tastings of different versions of Primitivo completed a picture of surprising complexity and versatility of this wine, which can range from “imposing interpretations” in structure and richness to “fresh, savory, and balanced versions, with great drinkability,” as noted by Vincent Ochieng.

Day 2: Salice Salentino

If at the welcome dinner the Spumante Rosé version of Salice Salentino, the Brut Five Roses classic method, had already impressed, visiting the museum and the winery and tasting the wine from Moros by Claudio and Alessandra Quarta made everyone understand the potential of this great grape. “Definitely one of the memorable tastings of this experience was the Riserva ’19,” noted Asem Tusupbayeva after tasting the Salice Salentino from the company. The next stop at the beautiful Masseria Li Veli, with its jewel- like vineyards and a range of prestigious wines, only confirmed these impressions. Verdeca Askos, Salice Salentino Pezzo Morgana, and the Passito Sir James Aleatico received applause, with the latter described as “a truly mesmerizing experience” by Mark Dewolf. The surprises didn’t end there. The view of Castello Monaci revealed more surprising characteristics of the territory, like the tasting of a Chara Chardonnay ’12 with remarkable freshness. “One of the top labels of this trip,” noted Mathias Gade. Elegant and highly drinkable, according to all, were the other labels from the company. During a delightful dinner at the “Le Scuderie” restaurant of Castello Monaci, the guests enjoyed a wide selection of Salice Salentino from other companies in the denomination.

Day 3: Brindisi

The day opened with a visit to Cantina Sampietrana. “The visit to the Apulian cooperatives was one of the revelations of this trip for many of us. Truly high-level,” observed Sangmi Kim. Here, in addition to excellent Brindisi, there was also a white version of Negroamaro, the Tacco Barocco, a wine that “surprises with its freshness and shows that this grape has a great future also as a white,” according to Rolf Madsen. Confirming this, the visit to Cantina Due Palme was followed by lunch at Villa Neviera, the elegant wine resort of the winery. In the afternoon, the guests found themselves in Brindisi for a visit to a beautiful historical reality of the denomination, the Botrugno family winery. Here too, they tasted the best labels and received a true lesson on terroir, concluding with a “Brindisi” (in Italian a brindisi is a toast) featuring the delightful rosé sparkling wine from Negroamaro, Brindeasy. “The winery maintains its heritage by producing seven different native grapes. The wines produced by the father and son team are of high quality,” concluded Jessica Tan. Another visit and dinner in Brindisi concluded the journey. La Tenuta Lu Spada, at sunset, provided the ideal setting. A visit to the winery and traditional dishes, that Mediterranean Cuisine which is now a UNESCO World Heritage, along with a memorable range of wines, highlighted by Brindisi Rosso Masada and Susumaniello Philonianum. “Fascinating tastings, excellent wines rich in history,” noted Jessica Tan again. “Its fresh and austere style, the fruitiness and the balance are incredible,” concluded Kristy Weinz, raising her glass for the final toast of this fascinating Three Days discovering the gastronomic delights of Salento.

After getting to know the protagonists of the territory, the Consortia of Brindisi, Primitivo di Manduria, and Salice Salentino, their Presidents, and the most dynamic realities of the area, our guests return home happy to share a piece of Italy that offers absolute excellence in wine and gastronomy. Family-run and traditional companies have skillfully alternated with large cooperatives equipped with cutting-edge facilities, historic residences restored to their former glory, and state-of-the-art modern wineries: a fascinating mix that provided an idea of the complexity of the Salento scenario. Among the things that impressed our guests the most was certainly the spirit of research and experimentation that each company visit highlighted. Brindisi, Manduria, and Salice Salentino are not historic denominations resting on their laurels, but laboratories where new techniques are experimented with, ancient grape varieties rediscovered, and where fascinating wines are born, tied to an extraordinarily vocated territory stretched between two seas that exert their influence on the vineyards. All this in a typically Mediterranean landscape, in a land that offers incredible typical products. Finally, judging by the messages we receive and the flood of articles that continue to be published, the reviews of wines both online and in print, a beautiful aspect to highlight is that with three years of Radici Virtuose, a “community” of great wine professionals has been created, now totaling 25, who have had the opportunity to meet in person on these trips and connect with colleagues who have had the same experience in previous years. In short, Radici Virtuose has gone well beyond its initial goal of producing good communication about the territory. It has created a group of industry professionals who, returning enthusiastic from their journey, will forever be excellent ambassadors of this land in a network that now spans all continents.