Cantine San Marzano

History

San Marzano is a small village in the centre of the heel of the boot, in the Southern part of Puglia, called Salento. Puglia is a very short and thin, it is a strip of land kissed by the two seas of the Salento: the Ionian and the Adriatic sea. In 1962 there was no DOC appellation, and the Primitivo di Manduria (Southern Part of Salento) was far from becoming a cult wine for wine lovers. Even so, 19 winemakers came together to follow a dream and founded Cantine San Marzano.

In 1982 Franchesco Cavallo, was appointed Chairman of the board of directors

A fiery and visionary figure, he continues to make plans for the future, while overseeing the present of our winery. He has uninterruptedly been the true helmsman of our company.

In 1996 first bottles came out of the cellar, thanks to a modern bottling plant financed by the members of the Cantine. This purchase marked the transition from commodity to brand, from the economics of bulk to the direct relationship with the end consumer.

“… To make a wine just like the one our fathers did and make it original and contemporary …”

This is the goal we set out to achieve with Sessantanni Primitivo di Manduria DOP, one of the iconic labels of the company, which embodies the essence of the San Marzano philosophy. A wine that tells of the spirit of local viticulture, the best expression of the millennia-old love of our people for the Primitive grapes of this land; and that has become a new “classic”, the original and the internationally most loved and imitated example of a new way of making wine.

“… The best grape is the one we have not yet harvested … “

A stone’s throw from the Ionian Sea, Masseria Samia is a place of work and stories. As it is often the case when it comes to a project of Cantine San Marzano, this masseria is the keeper of many contents, both finite and infinite: it is a typical 16th century Ionian coast farmhouse, which has been carefully and respectfully restored; it is a sustainable vineyard, dedicated to research into lesser-known clones of well-known indigenous vines and into almost forgotten ones. It will be our house open to our guests and friends, and the ideal place for telling our story through courses and divulging knowledge about wine and cookery. It will be a Mediterranean garden surrounded by silence, where paths criss-cross among the trees, flowers and herbs of our Mediterranean flora. And, not least, it is the place where, through stories, we will share our idea of wine and beauty.

Food Suggestions from Mauro Di Maggio, Unrealistic Vinegrower at San Marzano

Traditionally Primitivo would go with lamb, we cook it in terracotta tagines, like in northern Africa. You put it into the fire with tomato sauce and mediterranean herbs. This is very traditional and it goes with Primitivo. Another one which is quite strange comes from Taranto, the biggest town near San Marzano, and it’s the hometown for mussels. We have small, very savoury mussels, and because the mussels are the main dish in Taranto, and Primitivo, the main wine, very often they are matched together. It’s a bit of an extreme pairing but because of Primitivo’s soft tannins and residual sweetness, if you have these muscles in a peppery, spicy sauce, it goes very well with seafood too.