Polvanera's winery is steeped in deep-rooted Apulian tradition: dry stone walls, oak barrels and a cellar dug 8 metres into the limestone rock to allow the wines to age under a constant humidity and temperature. A winery typical of Apulian winemaking, with an organic style, where the 100 hectares covered with bush-grown or cordon-grown vines are planted only with native grape varieties. The name Polvanera comes from the word “Polvagnor”, a dialect term for the family who lived on the Masseria estate for years, and who worked in the mines, giving them dark skin due to the blackness of the coal. Ferrous soil and limestone rock are the two primary elements of the soils at Gioia del Colle. Here all of the stages of the vinification process take place in stainless steel to avoid any change to the characteristics of the base product. One of the native grape varieties the winery uses is Aleatico, a semi-aromatic red grape variety that is most likely a genetic mutation of the Tuscan Moscato Nero. At Polvanera this variety is cultivated in the Marchesana vineyard to produce the natural sweet Aleatico red. Aleatico grapes are harvested by hand, in the fourth week of September, when the sugar content is concentrated in the bunches and the grapes are therefore overripe. The grapes are then macerated for two weeks and fermented for another fourteen days in stainless steel. The wine ages for 24 months in stainless steel and one year in the bottle. Polvanera's sweet wine is a red dessert wine with a deep ruby colour that releases notes of moss and cherry on the nose. Fresh and velvety, sweet and delicate, this wine is best served with dry cocoa-based almond cakes or honey, for a celebration with friends or to enjoy as a relaxing drink.
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