In 2003 Filppo Cassano embarked on the mission to produce a different interpretation of the Primitivo grape: wines that are still full bodied and rich, but that retain freshness and minerality, elements often missing in Puglia reds.
To pursue this vision he purchased vineyards in the highest of Puglia areas, Gioia del Colle, half an hour’s drive inland west of Bari and rented two small vineyards planted with 60 years old ‘alberello’ or bush-vines, one in clay soil the other in limestone. After just a few experiments Filippo decided to do without oak aging for all of his wines. This was a key step towards the fulfillment of his philosophy of minimal intervention in both the vineyards and the cellar in order to maintain and enhance the pure characteristics of Primitivo.
The name Polvanera derives from the dark brown/ black soil that surrounds the winery, which is built in a restored eighteenth-century historic ‘masseria’ or farmhouse. The farm comprises 20 hectares of organically farmed vineyards, certifed since 2008.