// Cantele Puglia

Verdeca 2022 RRP £13.75

This refreshing, elegant white represents superb value. Yellowstraw in colour with hints of green, it is fresh and bright with mouthwatering acidity and plenty of citrus and stone fruit flavours. A wonderful note of minerality is the perfect counterpoint to the wine’s vibrant fruit, making it all the more versatile and compelling at the table.

Chardonnay named after the family matriarch, sourced from a 10ha vineyard in Guagnano. Two thirds of the wine is fermented in stainless steel, and a third in 25% new oak. It's then matured on lees in French barriques. A polished, taut wine reminiscent of great Pouilly-Fuissé with its tropical and stone-fruit character and layered texture.

Giovanni Battista Cantele and his wife Teresa Manara arrived in Salento from Imola in the 1950s. They were following their dream to build a future for their family in Italy’s south, and today their grandchildren are living up to their legacy, as export director Umberto Castele explains.

Imported by Armit Wines armitwines.co.uk and varied to be found anywhere. We need to keep investing in this Italian diversity in order to strengthen our role in the wine world.

Salice Salentino 2019 RRP £14.60

This barrique-aged Negroamaro is widely considered a benchmark for the category, made using a selection of top fruit, with the 2019 vintage winning Tre Bicchieri from the Gambero Rosso. A complex wine with crunchy blackcurrant and black plum, alongside earthy notes, tobacco and cedar. Its refreshing acidity creates beautiful balance.

Padua’s Vinicola Tombacco has been awarded Equalitas certification, a globally recognised sustainability standard for the wine sector which guarantees the winery’s commitment to sustainability.

Tombacco, whose various brands are available in the UK through Lanchester Wines, has announced the achievement following a series of both ongoing and new projects to address key sustainability issues.

The third-generation family business, which recently celebrated its centenary year, has implemented various practices across its wineries to minimise its impact on the environment.

Solar panels are installed on Tombacco’s buildings, which optimises the cost of electricity and supplies a growing proportion of the company’s energy needs. This is the first step towards complete energy autonomy.

An innovative Israeli-type drip irrigation system has been installed, delivering just enough water and nutrients to the vines while minimising wastage. And Valoritalia, the Italian certification body, has rewarded Treviso winery 47 Anno Domini's efforts with organic certification which in itself is a guarantee of attention and care to the highest standards.

On top of this, Tombacco has introduced an employee welfare programme which,