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If you want extreme, come to Puglia. It’s here where the Italian sun shines its brightest and where agriculture is at its most abundant. In the terra rossa—Puglia’s iron-rich red clay soils—gigantic olive trees provide large circles of shade and vineyards line each picturesque vista.
The sultry south is home for Torre Quarto, owned by the Farussi family who have made wine here, off and on, for generations. More than a hundred years ago, the estate sold grapes to Bordeaux winemakers, as did many southern Italian winemakers with large crops and dense, concentrated grapes. Times weren't always so good for the family, however. Years of overproduction and frivolous spending almost turned the estate over to the bank. Yet Stefano Cirillo Farrusi, the youngest grandson of the original owner, stepped in to rescue Torre Quarto. He hired enologist Cristoforo Pastore to help isolate the estate's most suitable vines and focus overall on the best local, and unusual grape varietals.
These include the fruity and juicy red Uva di Troia, the powerful Aglianico, Primitivo, the alleged grandmother of Zinfandel, and a bushel of Cabernet Sauvignon and Montepulciano. First among equals for Torre Quarto, however, is Uva di Troia, which, in the region between Cerignola and the Castel del Monte, thrives with ample aromatics and powerful tannins.