Puglia
Est. 1962 
35 wines 
Tastings
Booking required 
Wine area
Manduria
Primitivo di Manduria territory on the Ionian coast.
Cantine San Marzano
Cantine San Marzano is a grower co-operative in San Marzano di San Giuseppe, a small town in Salento, Puglia. The town gives its name to one of southern Italy's densest patches of old-vine Primitivo. Nineteen growers founded the cellar in 1962. At the time, Primitivo di Manduria wines carried little weight abroad. The flagship, Sessantanni Primitivo di Manduria DOP, comes from bush-vines more than sixty years old. Many credit that single label with changing how the world sees Puglian red wine.
See the wines
Wines from Cantine San Marzano
About Cantine San Marzano
Nineteen local growers set up Cantine San Marzano in 1962. Their town sits in the province of Taranto, between the Ionian and Adriatic seas. This strip of land is the core of the Primitivo di Manduria zone. Families here have trained their vines as low bushes for generations. In 1962 there was no famous appellation to sell under. Most of the region's wine travelled north in bulk.
The move from bulk wine to brand came in two steps. Francesco Cavallo became chairman in 1982. He held the post for forty years and gave the cellar one steady voice. In 1996 the first bottling line arrived. From then on the members sold wine under their own labels, not as nameless bulk.
The defining wine arrived in 2000. Sessantanni is a Primitivo di Manduria DOP from bush-vines more than sixty years old. These old plots are the heritage stock the co-operative was founded to protect. The wine showed what old-vine Primitivo could do. Expect dense black fruit, dried fig and chocolate, kept in shape by dry-farmed alberello vines. Two wines sit above it: Anniversario 62, a Riserva, and Sessantanni Limited Edition. A fourth, 11 Filari, is a Dolce Naturale: the rare sweet face of the Primitivo di Manduria DOCG.
Most of the catalogue sits under Salento IGP. F Negroamaro works Salento's second red grape at the same level. Susco and Amai do the same for Susumaniello, a rarer local grape. Tramari, a rose of Primitivo, and Edda Bianco, a white, are familiar names on shop shelves. Il Pumo and Talo cover the entry level, from Salice Salentino to the Valle d'Itria. Liboll and the metodo classico Calce cover the sparkling side. Naca is the certified organic Primitivo in the range.
You can taste at the winery by appointment only. Book through the shop, not through the usual online platforms. There is no restaurant on site, and no rooms to stay in. The business is a corporate co-operative, San Marzano Vini S.p.A., rather than one family's estate. Its real story is the old Salento vines, not a single founder.
Plate I · PUGLIA
Cantine San Marzano on the Puglia wine atlas
Winery
Cantine San Marzano
San Marzano S. G., Taranto · Manduria
Denominations Produced
Grapes Used
Visit & Experiences
Experiences at Cantine San Marzano
Nothing here can be booked online yet. The experiences below are documented by our editors. The estate's contact details are in Practical info.
Tasting
Cellar tasting by appointment
Sit-down tasting of the Cantine San Marzano range hosted at the winery in San Marzano di San Giuseppe. Visits are arranged in advance with the dedicated shop team on +39 327 05 97 024 or [email protected]. There is no walk-in tasting room, no published programme, and no online booking platform.
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Not bookable online yet
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Plan your visit
Monsignor Bello, 9, 74020 San Marzano S. G., Taranto (Puglia)
What Cantine San Marzano makes
Cantine San Marzano's current bottle selection is led by Primitivo di Manduria DOC. The clearest grape signal comes from Primitivo and Negroamaro.
Common questions
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Cantine San Marzano is in San Marzano di San Giuseppe, in the province of Taranto, Puglia. The cellar stands in the centre of the Primitivo di Manduria zone. The Salento strip here runs between the Ionian and Adriatic coasts. The full address is Via Monsignor Bello, 9, 74020 San Marzano di San Giuseppe (TA).
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