Puglia｜Immersed in Award-Winning Wineries～
The exterior of the Cellar Giovanni Aiello winery is not ostentatious at all, still retaining the style of 1864. I guess the owner, Giovanni Aiello, is deliberately preserving the appearance of the ancient building. Over the past hundred years, it has weathered many storms, transitioning from a winery to a restaurant, then to a disco hall, and now it has finally reclaimed its original identity.
Because it has weathered many storms, many decorative details of the winery still retain traces of its past. As you walk into the entrance of the winery, you can see Chakra Rosso red wine placed next to speakers and gramophones. The surrounding cabinets display various awards the winery has received, including a high score of 97 points from one of the world's top three wine critics, James Suckling, and the award for Italy's Best Wine of 2021, among others.
Behind the exhibition hall is the wine-making demonstration area, where the owner shares the ancient traditional wine-making methods with us and occasionally tastes the flavor of the initial brew.
Because it is so low-key, compared to the many wineries I have visited, its unassuming nature does not give much expectation for the entire space until you reach the cellar part, where surprises start to emerge layer by layer.
The cellar is built from karst caves and is divided into four spaces. One is an area for making wine labels, where visitors can join tasting groups, buy wine, and create their own labels. Another is a romantic bar space made from wine barrels. There is also an open cave space suitable for hosting balls or wedding ceremonies. The last space is a comfortable dining and tasting area resembling a family living room, where we had our tasting and lunch.
Drinking and chatting is a particularly good way to communicate. The owner is a native of Puglia, having grown up in the vineyards. He loves the valleys, caves, sea, and country roads here. Such terrain, climate, and temperature have become the cradle for grape cultivation. He brought back his work experience from wineries in California and Australia, carrying his father's advice, 'If you want to make someone happy, give them a good glass of wine,' and shaped this low-yield, high-quality winery.
The snacks and dishes paired with the wine are all made from local Puglia ingredients, from freshly produced bread and cheese to local vegetables and meats, making perfect accompaniments to the wine. We tasted the easy-to-drink sparkling wine, tropical-flavored white wine, and smooth and rich red wine, each one becoming my favorite.
So how do you prove that this winery is worth visiting? I can only tell you that a few days before I went, the owner of the Krug winery, known as the king of champagne, came here for a tasting, took back several cases, and said this is the sparkling wine that makes him happy.