Cristiano Guttarolo

Cantine Cristiano Guttarolo
Puglia, Italy

Cristiano Guttarolo started making wine in 2004 on the outskirts of Gioia del Colle in Puglia, with 2.2 hectares of land left by his grandfather. Today he farms 7 hectares and the farmhouse (an old masseria built entirely from local stone) has been converted into a winery, surrounded by indigenous grape varieties such as  primitivo, verdeca, negroamaro, and susumaniello. Vines are trained using the Guyot method, also known as cane pruning and commonly used in cooler regions. 

This area is called the Murge Plateau – situated 360 metres above sea level and cooled by the strong breezes coming from the Adriatic and Ionian seas. Even in the hot summer sun, the grapes are kept cool and the fossilised limestone of the plateau, often visible through the topsoil, give Cristiano’s wines a marked elegance. 

Cristiano has farmed organically since he began making wine and tills the soil sparingly to encourage the balance of fauna and flora. He is no stranger to the flexibility required by working in harmony with nature and changes the grapes and percentages in his wines each vintage in order to produce the very best cuvées. He also loves working with amphorae – currently working with 25 made out of either porcelain or clay.