Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/426275
70 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014/2015 "I decided I would make my 'own' project there, bringing Feudi di San Gregorio experience into a new land," explains Capaldo. "Campania and Puglia are quite different in terms of soil type, but they both enjoy authentic viticultural traditions and outstanding native varietals." Ognissole— which in Italian means "in every place where the sun rises"—was born that summer, although it took almost 15 years to bring the project to life. Since the year 2000, Capaldo has worked to revitalize the vineyards, build a winery and amass a highly qualified team to run Ognissole. There is an Italian saying "Non bisogna fare le cose a metà," meaning a job worth doing is worth doing well, an idiom that rings true regarding Capaldo's approach to the vineyards of Ognissole. Due to the low-to-the-earth alberello training system, most vine - yard practices, including pruning and harvesting, are done by hand. Capaldo spent several vintages developing the old plant- ings and studying how each part of the vineyard performed— which vines were early and which took longer to ripen—so that he could determine when to harvest at optimal ripeness. "These years of patience and learning from the property gave me a knowledge of the vineyards, so that I can harvest when the fruit is at perfect phenolic ripeness, with sugar levels balanced against acidity," explains Capaldo. "Our aim is to make contem - porary wines while respecting the local traditions, stepping away from the rustic 'heaviness' of some of the historic models." After this meticulous cultivation on the vine, harvested fruit makes its way to the winery, situated in the town of Sava. Francesco Domini, General Manager of Ognissole, describes the winery as "small but fully equipped for the production of high-quality wines." Reach back to grammar school geography and you might remember the "boot" that is Italy. Puglia is the heel of this boot and Salento is the very tip of the heel, representing the southernmost portion of Puglia, embracing the provinces of Lecce, Taranto and part of Brindisi. The Salento countryside is punctuated by the twisted trunks of ancient olive trees and swaths of vineyards, partitioned by archaic stone walls. Here, towns have a Mediterranean look, with the fortified farmhouses and trulli— conical stone huts—that dot the landscape, painted white to reflect the harsh southern- Italian sunlight. Compared to its rugged and mountainous neighbors—Molise and Basilicata—Puglia is a region of broad, fertile plains and low, costal hills. The hot and dry climate of the region, where grapes thrive in the volcanic, granitic and sometimes chalky soils, is tempered by cooling maritime winds. Under the Puglian Sun PHOTO: COURTESY OF OGNISSOLE A 19th-century trullo—the conical stone hut traditional of the Puglian region—in Grottaglia, Taranto. Antonio Capaldo, owner of Ognissole. PHOTO: COURTESY OF OGNISSOLE