LOCO WINES IS A WINERY LOCATED IN CISTERNINO, IN THE PICTURESQUE ITRIA VALLEY BETWEEN BARI AND BRINDISI. AFTER HIS PLANS TO OPEN A NATURAL WINE BAR IN BARI WERE HALTED BY THE COVID PANDEMIC, VITTORIO PUGLIESE DECIDED TO RETURN TO HIS ORIGINAL DREAM OF BECOMING A WINEMAKER. DRIVEN BY A PASSION FOR NATURAL WINE, VITTORIO SOUGHT OUT SMALL, SOMETIMES ABANDONED VINEYARDS OF INDIGENOUS GRAPES TO REVIVE. HIS VINEYARDS NOW SIT AT AN AVERAGE ALTITUDE OF 300 METERS ON RED CLAY SOILS AND ARE IDEALLY SUITED FOR PRODUCING WINE WITH MINIMAL INTERVENTION. AS ONE OF THE FEW WINEMAKERS IN THE AREA TO HAVE ADOPTED THIS APPROACH, VITTORIO WANTS TO HIGHLIGHT THE CHARACTER OF LOCAL GRAPES AND STRIVES TO PRODUCE VIBRANT, LIVELY WINES. HIS WINEMAKING FAVORS LIGHT EXTRACTIONS AND SEMI-CARBONIC MACERATIONS, ENSURING THAT THE WINES CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF THE TERROIR WHILE MAINTAINING FRESHNESS AND ACIDITY.