Cristiano Guttarolo makes wine in Puglia, outside the town of Gioia del Colle meaning ‘Jewels of the Neck’. The area here is called the Murge Plateau – situated 360 metres above sea level and kept cool by the strong breezes coming from the Adriatic and Ionian seas. Even in the hot summer sun, the grapes are cooled by these sea winds and the fossilised limestone of the plateau give Cristiano’s wines a marked elegance. It is a region best known for bold, tannic wines, but these have a distinguishing fresh and mineral touch. The adventure began in 2004 with a hectare of vineyard left by his grandfather – now expanded to 6.5 hectares. The winery is an old masseria: a restored, traditional farmhouse built entirely from local stone and surrounded by indigenous grape varieties such as primitivo, verdeca, negroamaro and susumaniello. The vines are trained using the Guyot method, also known as cane pruning and commonly used in cooler regions. There is plenty of vegetation growing between the vines and Cristiano tills the soil sparingly to encourage the balance of fauna and flora. Working in harmony with nature requires a high level of flexibility and a certain amount of reactive thinking. Cristiano is no stranger to adaptation and only decides which wines to make once the grapes have been harvested, giving himself the chance to make the best wines possible with the year’s yield.
Vino Bianco GIA is a cuvée of Trebbiano (90%), Verdeca (5%) and Chardonnay (5%). With an aroma of just-ripe yellow pears, this wine has light tannins from a short maceration and just a hint of apricot on the tongue.