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Castello Monaci sits at the heart of Salento. The estate is at Contrada Monaci, near San Pancrazio Salentino, in the province of Brindisi. The 16th-century castle began life as a refuge run by Basilian monks. It later passed through noble Apulian families to the Memmo family, its current stewards. A white tuff cellar and the Merum wine museum frame the estate today. Everything centres on the native Salento grapes: Primitivo, Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera.
Puglia
Salento's flat, sun-bleached plain between Brindisi and Lecce gives Castello Monaci its raw material. More than 200 hectares of vines ring the castle, about 280 football pitches. They carry the three grapes that define this southern tip of Puglia. Those are Primitivo, Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera di Lecce. The rows stand on iron-rich red clay over limestone. Every grape the cellar presses is farmed within sight of the towers.
The castle appears in the Salice Salentino land register from the 1500s. Basilian monks worshipped there and offered refuge. Owners followed one after another: the Martino family, then the Parry Graniger, then the Provenzano di Ugento line. That last line brought the property into the Memmo family, the current heirs. Six centuries of additions and repairs sit behind the ivy-covered towers, the courtyard palms and the gardens.
Wine is made in a separate building from the castle keep. The Memmo family built the working winery in the 1970s from local white tuff stone. The stone keeps the cellar cool without mechanical cooling. It also gives the walls their chalk-bright colour. Chilled pressing feeds temperature-controlled fermentation tanks. Below ground rest more than 1,000 barriques and 18 large French oak casks. Their barrel cellar is dug straight into the tuff.
The range is built on Salento IGT bottlings named for the estate's Greek and local heritage. Piluna and Artas are single-grape Primitivo. Maru is a Negroamaro, and Kreos is a Negroamaro rose. Aiace anchors the top of the reds. The white Acante and the native-grape Coribante sit alongside. Liante carries the Salice Salentino DOC label. The names reach back to Magna Graecia. Piluna takes its name from the terracotta vessels Greek and pre-Roman growers used to store wine and oil.
Castello Monaci is also a working cultural site. The Merum wine museum sits in a 1930s wine factory on the estate. It traces Salento wine from the old rural way of life onwards. One era saw local wines shipped north to strengthen other bottlings. The modern chapter has made Salento a recognised origin in its own right. The museum is part of every booked wine tour. The estate stays open to visitors all year.
Plate I · PUGLIA
Wine area
The northern Salento DOCs around Brindisi and the northern Lecce border.
Winery
San Pancrazio Salentino, BR · Salice Salentino and Brindisi
3 tours, checked by our editors. From €25.
Tour
The tour will begin with a guided visit to the winery, where you will discover the secrets of wine production, from winemaking techniques to aging methods. You will continue with a fascinating immersion in the wine museum, where you will discover stories, traditions, and ancient tools related to the art of winemaking. Finally, it's time for tasting: you will savor three carefully selected glasses, accompanied by a platter of local cured meats and cheeses, for a gourmet experience that will delight your senses and palate.
via Winalist
Tour
The tour will begin with a guided visit to the winery, where you will discover the secrets of wine production, from winemaking techniques to aging methods. You will continue with a fascinating immersion in the wine museum, where you will discover stories, traditions, and ancient tools related to the art of winemaking. Finally, it's time for tasting: you will savor three carefully selected glasses, accompanied by taralli.
via Winalist
Tour
Immerse yourself in the history and winemaking tradition of Puglia with an unforgettable experience at the prestigious Castello Monaci. The journey begins with a guided tour of the winery and the estate's fascinating wine museum, where each object tells a fragment of the local wine culture. You will discover the secrets of winemaking and the authenticity of the house's artisanal knowledge. The visit continues in the refined hall of the castle, where a gourmet dinner prepared by our chef awaits you. The "Terre" or "Mare" menu of your choice is accompanied by three emblematic labels of our wines, selected to enhance each course. A unique moment between heritage, gastronomy, and great wines: ideal for wine lovers in search of authenticity.
via Winalist
Tasting & Tour
Cellar visit, walk-through of the on-site Merum wine museum, and a tasting of three Castello Monaci wines.
Not bookable online yet
Tasting & Tour
Cellar tour and Merum museum walk, with three glasses of Castello Monaci wine paired with a platter of Apulian cured meats and cheeses.
Not bookable online yet
Tasting & Tour
Cellar, Merum museum, and castle visit, tasting of three reference Castello Monaci wines, followed by a sit-down lunch from the menu of the in-house chef.
Not bookable online yet
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Castello Monaci's current bottle selection is easiest to understand through Primitivo.
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4 wines 
Tastings
Tours
Accommodation
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