Cantina Giardino

Daniela and Antonio di Gruttola began making wine as Cantina Giardino with a group of friends at the turn of the millennium. Natives of the Irpinian hills, it was the encroachment of mechanised viticulture and the uprooting of the region’s ancient vineyards that compelled the couple to radically alter the course of their lives and dedicate themselves to the preservation of the ampelographic artefacts growing in the vineyards of Avellino, and the intuitive winemaking and crop husbandry techniques that, over many generations, had adapted to this remote, rugged wilderness. Based in Ariano Irpino, in the saddle of the Apennines and at just under 800 metres elevation, the winters are cold and the summers short, with harsh winds blowing from the north and from the Adriatic coast. The landscape is dramatic, defined by mountain ridges and undulating hills, with a diverse geological complexion that can be explored through the Cantina's eclectic portfolio of wines, from their own holdings or from grapes bought from neighbours and friends.

Beginning as a project among friends aiming to cultivate biodiversity between the vines, train their vines in the old way, and working without additions or filtration at the cellar, they had few, if any, peers in Campania in the early years, confirming the significance and timeliness of their work. In the decades since, their wines have become a benchmark for the timeless and evocative wines of Irpinia. Anyone who has experienced the enchanting pleasures of old vine aglianico like Le Fole, or the heady potency of fiano in, say, Tu tu will immediately understand why. Today, the original group remain active in the project, but Daniela and Antonio make the wines and drive the project forward.