our vines
Estates
This section introduces you to some of our leading estates, and the indigenous (Negroamaro, Primitivo, Malvasia nera, Verdeca, Aleatico, Malvasia bianca, Bianco di Alessano, Moscato, Susumaniello and Ottavianello) and non-indigenous grape varieties (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz) that we grow.
The particular colours and forms of the vines and of the olive trees capture the fundamental union between man’s actions and respect for the landscape, something which we have practised for centuries. The agricultural area (comprising approximately 5000 hectares in 1600) spanned more than 2000 hectares until the early 1950s. Now, though still sizeable, Leone de Castris comprises approximately 300 hectares of vineyards and approximately 50 hectares of olive groves, arable land and pastures in the provinces of Lecce, Brindisi, Bari and Taranto.
The farmhouses called Masseria Maiana, Don Nicoletta and Messere Andrea have belonged to the family for centuries, while others were acquired more recently and others still have been part of the estate for around a hundred years (Casa Purcara, Troili, Caretto, etc). Inheritance and land reform in the wake of the Second World War led to a reduction in size, but consolidation initiatives are currently under way.