Italy ( S.P. 178 km 2.800 Contrada Scappagrano 70021 Acquaviva delle Fonti (BA) )
The town Aquaviva delle Fonti at an average altitude of 300 meters above sea level in the Apulian hinterland, on the lower Murgia of Bari, not far from both the Adriatic and Ionian coasts.
The history of Tenute Chiaromonte begins here, immediately after the official recognition of the Primitivo vine. A small family-run company, a knowledge handed down from generation to generation, a passion for the land that has never subsided and carried on with pride and commitment.Tenute Chiaromonte is indeed a family story. From father to son, generation after generation, the knowledge of a land that produces wine, oil and beauty is handed down.
Nicola Chiaromonte today, with the help of his friend and entrepreneur Paolo Montanaro, manages Tenute Chiaromonte which includes over 60 hectares of vineyards and centuries-old olive groves, all cultivated according to organic methods. Experimentation, curiosity and commitment have led Tenute Chiaromonte to win the greatest challenge of all: to promote the Primitivo Doc Gioia del Colle and other native vines in the world , obtaining numerous awards. How we met Tenute Chiaromonte Prowein 2017 the biggest wine fair in the world. You start at 10am in the morning until 6pm. Walking, talking, tasting for three days. What might sound like a lot of fun, is hard work. Around 1 pm you need to eat, otherwise you don’t make it through to the end. It is March in Germany, cold, wet & windy. There is a long queue in front of the sausage stand. Next to me is a Mediterranean looking guy. We start to chat; his English is as poor as my Italian. I ask him “What do you do here at the wine fair? “He says, “I make the best wine in Italy” Ah, one of those, I thought! We try to talk a bit more, his name is Nicola and he is from Puglia, near Bari (at least that what I think he said!) We eventually get our sausage, eat it in the cold. He says “come over to my stand it is in Hall 9. (Hall 9 is only Italian wine.) I never go there usually, as we don’t sell Italian wine. But he is a nice guy, so I follow him. There is a small stand full of bottles and he is pouring a glass for me. Dark red at the rim, ruby colored. The nose hits me: ripe dark fruit, very long legs. Then the first sip, red fruits, strawberries, plums, cherry & very “jammy” and high alcohol. I turn the bottle 16%. …..Lots of alcohol. Around the neck a Label that states “ Best Red wine of Italy “ 2013 from Gamberto Rossi “THE” wine rating body in Italy. I am impressed. “You have to visit me in Puglia” I promise to do so. Some month later we go. The winery is hard to find, and we are late. Nicola greets me like an old friend. “Come, come” he is accompanied by Giovanni his nephew who speaks fluent English. We all go up the hill through dirt roads to the vineyard. What a beautiful view. Out of the blue Nicola holds 4 glasses, while Giovanni uncorks a bottle of MuroStAngelo, the wine of the year. “This is where it comes from”. The wine tastes even better than at the fair. I tell him “You know, we sell wine in Malta, do you have an agent there?” “Yes” I am surprised “Who” he looks at me and with a big smile he answers “You” and the rest is history.
