Italy
The legend of the eight dancing lions that protect the vineyards during harvest is embodied in our 8 LEONI brand from Orta Nova, southern Italy.
Location
Italy
About Italy
Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy has historically been a leading cultural centre. From the Roman Empire to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance until the recent years, the country has always played a significant role in the history of Europe. The ruins and monuments of all the civilizations that lived through the ages on Italy are the living proof for this statement.
The coastline that surrounds the country, the Apennine Mountains that form the peninsula's backbone and the Alps, its far north physical border, create a unique, diversified and picturesque landscape.
Home of famous artists and architects such as Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Raphael, Italy has always been – and still is – considered a birthplace for design, fashion and art.
WINE TRADITION
Italy’ reputation as one of the biggest and best wine producing regions of the world is largely thanks to Puglia. Viticulture is deeply rooted in the local traditions and Puglia is able to offer a diversity of wines with excellent vintages.
The landscape in Puglia is blessed. The warm climate and the fertile soil make the ideal conditions for vine growing. Over 800 kilometers of coastline define the geographic boundaries of the area, which is surrounded by water on three sides, allowing the cool breezes from the Mediterranean Sea to moderate the vineyard’s temperatures. A sunny, dry region, that gives birth to fruit-forward, ripe and full-bodied reds. Thus the name of the region, which is Roman a-pluvia and means ‘lack of rain’, an adage which holds true today.
Winery
The boutique Winery «Sessanta Pasi» that produces our 8 LEONI wines is located in the province of Foggia and has been awarded in 2018 with the recommendation as “Excellent Italian Company”. It is making wines for 4 generations now and is a pioneer in producing certified organic wine in Puglia.
The winery keeps the local tradition alive but, simultaneously, the years of wine making experience have passed on precious techniques and research which are valuable assets for the qualitative standards of the wines produced. In 2011 a new winery was built to strengthen the mission of adopting excellence in the wine production.
The winery is located in the countryside around the town of Orta Nova, in an area called Passo d’Orta, in Northerm Apulia. It spans a surface of 2,100 m2 and is composed of three different areas designed for production, refinement and bottling.
Having control over the entire production chain makes it possible to select and harvest grapes only when perfectly ripe and to adopt wine-making techniques that are able to preserve the integrity, quality, scents and aromas of the magnificent grape bunches.
A true Puglian red; vivid, deep ruby color, rich bouquet of red fruits, well balanced, full mouth, long, lingering aftertaste.
Dominant Flavors
Color
Taste Profile
Produced from Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes.
Montepulciano is an important, famous Italian red grape variety, the 2nd most planted red grape in Italy (after Sangiovese). It is an adaptable, high yielding and late ripening grape. It has shown an amazing potential for producing various types of wines. It is one of the medium tannins and acidity red grapes, able to give excellent younger as well as more matured wines.
Sangiovese, on the other hand, is considered to be the King of Italian red grapes. It derives its name from the Latin sanguis Jovis, which means "the blood of Jupiter", suggesting its very dark and intense color. Sangiovese has a flavor profile of sour red cherries with earthy aromas and tea leaf notes. Wines made from Sangiovese usually have tight tannins and high acidity, thus able to produce long aged wines with mature potential.
FOOD PAIRING PROPOSITIONS
Cheese platters
Penne with bacon, swiss chard, jack cheese and pecans
Chinese style pork buns steamed in bambii steamers
An authentic representative of the area. Intense, deep ruby color, spicy, with aromas of ripe forest fruits. Full bodied, with soft tannins, balanced acidity and long aftertaste.
Dominant Flavors
Color
Taste Profile
Produced solely from selected Montepulciano grapes.
In Foggia, in the north of the region, where our grapes come from, has the coolest climate of all Puglia region and therefore the most beneficial for the Montepulciano grapes. The second most spread Italian red grape ripens late and produces a brilliant ruby color. In lower yield vineyards the organoleptic characteristics become even more intense.
FOOD PAIRING PROPOSITIONS
Grilled salmon with olive butter and orzo
Baked rigatoni with eggplant and sausage
Spicy grilled shrimp stew
Chinese style fried oysters
A superb, mature, Puglian red. Deep garnet color with the aromas of white pepper, dried figs and nuts, chocolate and plum being dominant. Full bodied and complex, with tamed, well balanced tannins, good acidity and long aftertaste.
Dominant Flavors
Color
Taste Profile
Produced solely from selected Aglianico grapes.
Aglianico is a black grape, grown in the southern regions of Italy.
The vine originated in Greece and was brought to the south of Italy by Greek settlers. The name may be a corruption of vitis hellenica, Latin for "Greek vine". Another etymology posits a corruption of Apulianicum, the Latin name for the whole of southern Italy in the time of ancient Rome. During this åperiod, it was the principal grape of the famous Falernian wine, the Roman equivalent of a first-growth wine today.
Wines produced from the noble Aglianico grape tend to be full-bodied, with firm tannins endowing them an excellent aging potential.
FOOD PAIRING PROPOSITIONS
Slow cooked rack of lamb
Portobello and red pepper burgers
Peking duck
Chinese style sweet and sour spare ribs
