Falanghina Sparkling IGT – Massimo Leone

The Winery started its activity in 2007, lies in the centre of “Tavoliere delle Puglie”, with the desire of a farmer to revive and protect the ancient connection between history and land. This is the reason why they chose to plant native grape varieties, and mark once again the road that the Greeks lined out thousands of years before. The Vines are planted on a light coloured and rocky soil on which the only vine training system you can use is the espalier. Their purpose is quality and in order to reach it they pay the highest care through an adequate irrigation, a careful pruning and rasping, and a low yield per hectare. The grapes are harvested manually when the perfect balance between sugars and acids is reached. The vines are located very closet o the cellar where Fiano, Falanghina, Bombino, Primitivo, Aglianico, Nero di Troia and Montepulciano are cultivated. With regard to the methods of cultivation, Cantine Massimo Leone does not use insecticides and rely solely on the traditional use of sulphur and copper which strongly discourage the presence of mildew and powdery mildew thanks to the ideal climatic conditions in Puglia. As fertilizer and for nitrogen fixation they plant fava beans in their vineyards. The use of field beans, as fertiliser goes back to the Treaties on agriculture of the ancient Roman Empire. Is an efficient and natural way to fertilise the field and significantly increases the availability of nutrients in the soil improves its physical structure.

Falanghina

The Falanghina grape is a variety thought to derive from the ancient Greek-Balkan strains and takes its name from the Italian “falanga”, the stake supporting the vines. It was almost abandoned, but after its vines survived the phylloxera, it gained prominence and went through a period of renaissance and it is now widely cultivated in Southern Italy.
It is capable of producing wines of real interest with pure, transparent white fruit aromas, often framed by a fine breadcrumb note from lees ageing. Falanghina comes in a variety of styles, from fresh easy drinking wines to serious, age-worthy and minerality samples at modest alcohol levels. Mature wines can even show a hint of petrol similar to that of aged Riesling.