Region: Salento, Puglia, Italy

Varietal: 100% Verdeca

Tasting notes: A southern Italian gem! ‘Alice’ is made from 100% verdeca, a lesser-known grape variety primarily found in Puglia. We love the tangerine, tropical fruit, and floral aromas of this wine, and the texture is supple and refreshing. There’s a white tea-like astringency to the midpalate that extends through the salty finish. ‘Alice' means anchovy and this bottle is perfect for washing down grilled or fried seafood - or equally good sipping by itself on a sunny day.

Producer: Produttori di Manduria is the oldest active wine cooperative in Puglia. It was first established in 1928 as “Federazione Vini di Manduria” and then converted in to a cooperative in 1932 as “Consorzio Vini e Mosti di Manduria”. A native of the area and one of the most renowned Apulian Winemakers (working for historical producers like Candido and Leone De Castris), Leonardo Pinto has worked as the consulting winemaker at Produttori di Manduria for over 20 years.

Vineyard and Winemaking: Despite being in one of the major wine producing regions in Italy (Puglia usually ranks 2nd or 3rd in the national ranking in terms of wine produced), Produttori di Manduria is structured and operates like an Alto Adige cooperative, with 400 small growers farming 900 hectares of vineyards. With an average of 2.25 hectares per member, each grower is able to carry out most of the vineyard management by hand with an extreme attention to quality.