Cantele

The Cantele story begins with Giovanni Battista Cantele, born in 1907 in Pramaggiore, in the Veneto. He moved to Imola, where he met his wife Teresa Manara during World War II. The family relocated to the Salento Peninsula in the late 1950s, and Giovanni Battista formally established the winery in 1979 alongside sons Augusto and Domenico. Through the 1980s and into the 1990s, Cantele operated primarily as a wine bottler, purchasing from local cooperatives. The shift to estate viticulture came in the 1990s when the family began acquiring vineyards and producing their own wines. A state-of-the-art winery opened in 2003 between Fra Guagnano and Salice Salentino, cementing the producer's modern identity.

• Giovanni Battista was born in Pramaggiore, Veneto, and relocated the family to Salento in the late 1950s
• Formal winery established in 1979; estate wine production began in the 1990s
• New winery facility opened 2003 between Fra Guagnano and Salice Salentino
• Signature white wine Teresa Manara Chardonnay is named after Giovanni Battista's wife

Cantele sits between the villages of Fra Guagnano and Salice Salentino on the Salento Peninsula, a strip of land at the heel of Italy flanked by both the Ionian and Adriatic Seas. The warm Mediterranean climate brings mild winters and long dry summers, with summer temperatures ranging from 27 to 29 degrees Celsius and nights cooling to around 15 degrees. Constant marine breezes from both seas moderate the heat and help maintain freshness in the fruit. Soils are calcareous clay and marl, moderately to highly permeable, with medium limestone content and a slightly alkaline pH. Stone and mineral content is high throughout the vineyards.

• Located between Fra Guagnano and Salice Salentino, considered the finest growing zone in Puglia
• Flanked by the Ionian and Adriatic Seas; marine breezes moderate summer temperatures
• Calcareous clay and marl soils with medium limestone levels and slightly alkaline pH
• Summer temperatures 27-29°C during the day, dropping to 15°C at night

Negroamaro is the cornerstone grape at Cantele, accounting for half of all wines produced. The estate also grows Primitivo, Susumaniello, Verdeca, Fiano, and Bombino alongside international varieties Chardonnay, Merlot, and Syrah. Red wines show deep ruby to garnet colors with ripe black fruit, mineral, and herbaceous notes. Whites present in straw yellow with green hints. The house style across the range is described as clean, linear, and essential, with ripeness balanced by freshness. Giovanni Battista favored red wines while his wife Teresa preferred whites, a duality that continues to shape the portfolio today.

• Negroamaro makes up 50% of production; the estate considers it the signature indigenous variety of Salento
• Red wines: deep ruby to garnet, ripe black fruit, mineral and herbaceous character
• White wines: straw yellow with green hints; clean and linear in style
• International varieties Chardonnay, Merlot, and Syrah grown alongside indigenous grapes

Cantele maintains active research partnerships with the University of Milan, the University of Salento, Italy's National Research Council, and the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change. In collaboration with the University of Bari, the estate identified indigenous Negroamaro yeast strains capable of naturally controlling Brettanomyces contamination. Non-Saccharomyces yeasts are used for must bioprotection, significantly reducing sulfite levels across the range. Synthetic insecticides have been eliminated in favor of beneficial microorganisms and mating disruption techniques as part of a voluntary integrated pest management program. IoT technologies monitor production processes remotely, and the winery operates primarily on renewable energy sources.

• Partners with four research institutions including the University of Bari and Italy's National Research Council
• Indigenous Negroamaro yeast strains identified to control Brettanomyces naturally
• Non-Saccharomyces yeasts used for must bioprotection to reduce sulfites
• Synthetic insecticides replaced with beneficial microorganisms and mating disruption; IoT monitoring in use