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Cantine Polvanera is an organic estate in the Murgia hills of Puglia, between Gioia del Colle and Acquaviva delle Fonti. Filippo Cassano makes the wines, with Primitivo di Gioia del Colle at the centre of a range of native grapes. The cellar is carved eight metres down into the limestone, next to a farmhouse from 1820 where the tastings and meals happen. About 100 hectares of vines, around 140 football pitches, sit at 300 to 450 metres, all farmed organically. Tastings, cellar tours and lunches can be booked online.
Book a visit
Filippo Cassano grew up among the vines and learned from his father Vincenzo, then trained at the Basile Caramia wine school in Locorotondo. The estate dates from 2002. He is still the owner and winemaker, and his family supports the work. His aim from the start was to show what Primitivo and the other native grapes of the Murgia can do when the winemaking stays simple.
The name comes from the farmhouse next to the cellar. It was built in 1820 and once used for making charcoal. The family who ran it were known in the village as Polvagnor, black powder, because the coal dust darkened their skin. Cassano took the nickname for his label. It also fits the deep ruby of Primitivo and the red, iron-rich earth that lies over the limestone here. The estate sits between Gioia del Colle and Acquaviva delle Fonti, about twenty minutes from the Itria Valley and from Matera.
About 100 hectares of vines, around 140 football pitches, are planted with Primitivo, Aleatico, Aglianico, Minutolo, Moscato, Falanghina, Marchione and Bianco d'Alessano. They stand at 300 to 450 metres, where the swing between warm days and cool nights keeps the aromas fine. The oldest vines, some sixty years old, are bush-trained; the rest grow on wires. Everything is farmed organically. The cellar was carved eight metres down into the limestone rock, so the wines age at a steady temperature. They are aged in steel tanks and then in bottle, never in barrels, because Cassano does not want oak flavours over the fruit. Picking starts in the first ten days of September.
Primitivo from the Gioia del Colle DOC leads the range, sold as Polvanera 14, 16 and 17, with a Polvanera 15 made without added sulphites. The La Marchesana line is a set of organic IGT Puglia wines from single native grapes, among them the Negroamaro sold in the UK. There are also two traditional-method sparkling wines, Montevella rosé and Macchia di Gatto white, dry whites from Minutolo, Verdeca and Falanghina, and sweet wines from Aleatico and Moscatello. Polvanera 17 Primitivo 2020 won Gambero Rosso's Tre Bicchieri (Three Glasses) in the 2024 guide, and the Veronelli guide scored it 94 out of 100.
Visitors are welcome. The wine shop is open Monday to Saturday, and six experiences can be booked on the estate's website. They run from a 45-minute tasting of three wines to a three-hour session with old vintages and a meal in the farmhouse. Companies can arrange team-building days in the vineyards. Polvanera displays the Equalitas sustainable-winery certificate on its site and publishes a sustainability report.
Plate I · PUGLIA
5 tastings, checked by our editors. From €15.
Tasting & Tour
If you're passing through the Murgia region and have limited time, or if you already know our winery and want to taste our latest releases, this tasting is perfect for you. Book the Scirocco tasting now! A convenient and quick service that doesn't include a winery tour, allowing you to sample our new products.
via Winalist
Tasting & Tour
An extrasensory journey is what you need! We will take you among the wines born from the warm winds of the south and the typical delights of Apulian cuisine, all seasoned with passion and harmony. A Puglia-style lunch that will make you fond of our land and our roots. "THE SEASONS OF POLVANERA" ROUTE - Visit to the cellar - Tasting of 5 wines - Tastings of typical local products - *First course - *Second dish - Desserts Tastings of typical local products include: - Cereal frize with garlic and tomato sauce, garnished with cherry tomatoes and rocket, - Dairy products or courgette and mint omelette - Capocollo and cheese *Products will be linked to seasonality
via Winalist
Tasting & Tour
A guided tour of the winery and its rock-cut cellar. Then four wines served with a starter, and a tasting of olive oil with bread.
on cantinepolvanera.it
Tasting & Tour
A guided winery tour and five wines served with a starter, followed by an appetiser, a tasting of local products and a seasonal first course.
on cantinepolvanera.it
Tasting & Tour
The estate's longest visit. A guided tour and a welcome glass of its sparkling wine, then four older vintages beside two current ones. Starters and local products come with them. The meal ends with a main course and dessert.
on cantinepolvanera.it
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Cantine Polvanera's current bottle selection is easiest to understand through Primitivo.
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Puglia
2 wines 
Tastings
Tours
Booking required 
