I PASTINI 2021 White Blend 'Antico' (Locorotondo, Italy)

The Locorotondo appellation, midway between Bari and Brindisi near Puglia’s Adriatic coastline, is the antithesis to the brawny, opaque, alcoholic reds for which the heel of the boot is best known. Instead, the area produces delicate, crisp white wines from rare local grapes.

The Carparelli family isn’t shy about their love of their local grape varieties. In fact, when they founded I Pàstini in 1996, they did so with the idea that their winery would be a vehicle for exposing these ancient Italian grape varieties to a wider, wine-loving audience. Father and son contacted other families in Valle d’Itria and located some of the most ancient producing vines in the region. Rather than simply buy fruit from these growers, they purchased budwood and grafted the vines on their own property over to these gems. Today, the family has a productive, certified organic vineyard of 18 hectares.