Morella
Since its foundation in 2000, the Apulian winery Morella has distinguished itself for its spontaneously artisanal production vision aimed at enhancing the Manduria territory with its flagship grape: Primitivo. Key figures of the estate are Gaetano Morella and Lisa Gilbee, an Australian-born oenologist who arrived in Italy in 1992 and who, after a series of work experiences in the country, decided to settle in Apulia, fascinated by the Primitivo bush vines that emerge from the red soils of Manduria. Gaetano and Lisa initiated this collaboration with the common intent of seeing Primitivo and the Manduria area receive the recognition they deserve.
The artisanal winery Morella consists of 20 hectares of vineyards, most of which are made up of old vines trained as bush vines on the typical sandy red soils of Manduria, with particular abundance of limestone in the subsoil. Among these stand out the “Old Vines” and “La Signora” vineyards, symbolic parcels of the estate that are over 80 years old. Primitivo represents the core of the production, alongside other grape varieties of the Apulian tradition such as Negroamaro and Fiano and small percentages of international varieties such as Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Viognier. These varieties are cultivated following the principles of biodynamic agriculture with extremely low yields per hectare, almost exclusively hand-worked, and the use of biodynamic preparations. The same respectful approach to the territory and its expression is adopted in the winery, where fermentations occur spontaneously in open vats, associated with delicate extraction techniques such as manual punch downs, and any invasive practices of correction, stabilization, and filtration are excluded. For the aging of the wines, large barrels, French oak barriques, steel tanks, and concrete eggs are used, depending on the label in question.
Diamond points of Morella's production are the multi-award-winning Primitivo ‘Old Vines’ and ‘La Signora’, expressions at the highest quality level of the type. The rest of the range is also intriguing, with whites, orange wine, and reds with an exceptional quality/price ratio.
Since its foundation in 2000, the Apulian winery Morella has distinguished itself for its spontaneously artisanal production vision aimed at enhancing the Manduria territory with its flagship grape: Primitivo. Key figures of the estate are Gaetano Morella and Lisa Gilbee, an Australian-born oenologist who arrived in Italy in 1992 and who, after a series of work experiences in the country, decided to settle in Apulia, fascinated by the Primitivo bush vines that emerge from the red soils of Manduria. Gaetano and Lisa initiated this collaboration with the common intent of seeing Primitivo and the Manduria area receive the recognition they deserve.
The artisanal winery Morella consists of 20 hectares of vineyards, most of which are made up of old vines trained as bush vines on the typical sandy red soils of Manduria, with particular abundance of limestone in the subsoil. Among these stand out the “Old Vines” and “La Signora” vineyards, symbolic parcels of the estate that are over 80 years old. Primitivo represents the core of the production, alongside other grape varieties of the Apulian tradition such as Negroamaro and Fiano and small percentages of international varieties such as Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Viognier. These varieties are cultivated following the principles of biodynamic agriculture with extremely low yields per hectare, almost exclusively hand-worked, and the use of biodynamic preparations. The same respectful approach to the territory and its expression is adopted in the winery, where fermentations occur spontaneously in open vats, associated with delicate extraction techniques such as manual punch downs, and any invasive practices of correction, stabilization, and filtration are excluded. For the aging of the wines, large barrels, French oak barriques, steel tanks, and concrete eggs are used, depending on the label in question.
Diamond points of Morella's production are the multi-award-winning Primitivo ‘Old Vines’ and ‘La Signora’, expressions at the highest quality level of the type. The rest of the range is also intriguing, with whites, orange wine, and reds with an exceptional quality/price ratio.
