Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The plateau of Le Murge, whose backbone is composed of well-stratified dolomitic limestones and dolomites that emerged during the Cretaceous, extends across the provinces of Bari, Brindisi, and Taranto.
• The fractured, karstic structure of the Murgian rocks accounts for the absence of surface water, with the most significant erosional channels — known locally as 'lame' — extending all the way to the Adriatic Sea.
• The most widespread soil type in the area is of modest depth and exhibits high stoniness and rockiness, to the point that in extreme cases it may prove unsuitable for cultivation.
• The climate is typically sub-Mediterranean, with a mean annual temperature ranging from approximately 17.5 °C in Andria to 14.4 °C in the higher elevations and areas more distant from the sea.
• Mean annual rainfall is approximately 560 mm, concentrated mainly in November and December, with snowfall occurring generally above 500 m above sea level.

• Over time, alongside the traditional training systems of alberello and Guyot — historically adopted in the area as a natural fit for warm, arid viticulture — more expansive forms of vine training have been gradually introduced.
• New plantings are currently established mainly as vertical shoot-positioned trellises at a density of 4,348 vines per hectare (2.30 m × 1.0 m spacing), while where the tendone system persists a density of 2,500 vines per hectare is adopted with a 2.0 m × 2.0 m spacing.
• The majority of vineyards are trained using short-pruning systems that lend themselves readily to mechanisation, such as spur-trained cordon, as well as mixed-pruning systems with a return to Guyot.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A0539
• Official trade body site — Consorzio di Tutela Vini DOC Castel del Monte