Terre di Montelusa

Terre di Montelusa is the brainchild of oenologist Francesco Allegrini. Wines from Apulia and Sicily are produced under the brand.

Terre di Montelusa - the Botter and Allegrini families

With Terre die Montelusa,Francesco Alle grini has created a brand that captures the spirit of southern Italy. Francesco is part of the Allegrini winemaking family , which originally comes from Valpolicella, where they now produce their wines. Francesco is supported by the Botter family and their company, which distributes the Terre di Montelusa wines.

Apulia and its wines

In Puglia you will find mainly limestone, clay and sandstone soils. The climate is very dry and hot, but due to the coastal location the region is well ventilated. Precipitation is rather rare. Four zones within Apulia have DOCG status, 28 others DOC. At the heel of the Italian "boot", the focus of Terre di Montelusa is on Primitivo, which became famous in the New World under the name Zinfandel. Rosé wine is also produced here under the brand.

The Sicilian cousins

From Sicily the grape variety Nero d'Avola comes into the wines of Terre di Montelusa. Far-reaching climatic differences such as from Mediterranean-hot to alpine hints can be found on the island, the soils are depending on the location:

• sandy
• clayey
• calcareous

In addition, one finds basalt of volcanic origin. Nero d'Avola has become the most important grape variety of Sicily, which is cultivated everywhere on the island. Besides wine from this grape variety, a red wine cuvée is also produced.

The best of both worlds

From the portfolio of Terre di Montelusa, the Altopiano wines stand out, which are available with Sicilian as well as Apulian origin. The grapes for these wines are grown exclusively in higher altitudes, where it is significantly cooler and thus the ripening of the grapes takes longer.

The grapes for these wines are harvested by hand, after the gentle fermentation they are matured in oak barrels for almost a year. This is how the Altopiano wines stand out from their simpler siblings. The Brindisi Riserva, the Sicilian red wine cuvee, which comes from the DOC region of the same name on the island, also enjoys wood aging.