Natalino Del Prete

Natalino Del Prete is considered the pioneer of natural wine in Puglia: in San Donaci, in the province of Brindisi, he started organic production as early as 1994, long before the natural wine movement took shape in Italy. Coming from a family of Puglian winemakers with three generations of viticultural history, Natalino left university to dedicate himself to his grandfather's vineyards, adopting a radically artisanal and uncompromising approach. His daughter Mina now represents the fourth generation in the cellar.

Across eleven hectares split between San Donaci and Guagnano, he grows mainly Primitivo and Negroamaro, with small plots of Malvasia Nera and Aleatico. In the cellar the work is reduced to the essential: spontaneous fermentations with indigenous yeasts, cement tanks, minimal rackings, and absolutely no sulfur dioxide additions. The wines — including Primitivo "Natali", Negroamaro "Anne", Salice Salentino "Il Pioniere", and Aleatico "Sorso Antico" — are unfined and unfiltered, a faithful mirror of Salento terroir.