Wines from Varvaglione 1921

History

The Varvaglione family dates its work in wine to 1921, when Cosimo Varvaglione started the winery in Pulsano, in the province of Taranto. The Italian Navy base in Taranto was among its first customers. In 1958 his son Angelo built the first cellar in nearby Leporano, a building that is now the winery's sales point. The family marked its ninetieth anniversary with the Primitivo di Manduria called Papale, and its first hundred years in 2021 with a new range of wines.

The land and the vineyards

The winery is based in Leporano, in Salento, with its roots in the stretch of Puglia between Pulsano, Leporano and the town of Taranto, the city of two seas. The estate owns over 150 hectares of vineyards. Affiliated growers who have worked with the family for over thirty years farm another 400 hectares or so. Two historic sites carry their own labels: Masseria Pizzariello and Contrada Papale, both near Manduria, the home of Primitivo.

The vines are mostly native to Puglia. The reds include Primitivo, Negroamaro, Susumaniello, Malvasia and Aglianico, and the whites include Verdeca, Falanghina, Malvasia and Fiano. Chardonnay, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon are grown too.

The wines

Primitivo is the signature grape. The Papale wines are Primitivo di Manduria, and La Riserva 1921 and Masseria Pizzariello tell the family story in the same grape. Other collections include Family, with wines named for family members, Terra, which bottles single native varieties, and a group of wines that blend international and local grapes. There are also sparkling wines, a Falanghina white and a rosé from Primitivo, Negroamaro and Verdeca, plus a classic method sparkling wine. The winery also makes Oro di Puglia extra virgin olive oil, a balsamic condiment and Papale Oro, a barrique aged grappa from Primitivo pomace.

Today

Cosimo Varvaglione and his wife Maria Teresa lead the company with their children Marzia, Angelo and Francesca, who represent the fourth generation, and the family speaks of a fifth generation beginning. The winery says it makes about five million bottles a year and sells them in over seventy countries. Its research work is followed by the universities of Udine and Rome Tor Vergata, and it holds quality and environmental certifications including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, BRC and IFS. The stated aim is to grow the traditional grapes of Puglia with modern winemaking.

Founded

1921

Vineyards

Over 150 hectares owned, plus affiliated growers

Main grapes

Primitivo, Negroamaro, Susumaniello, Verdeca, Falanghina

Owners

Varvaglione family

Winemaker

Cosimo Varvaglione