Seven friends united by a shared obsession with fermentation decided in 2019 to stop making beer and start making wine, converting an abandoned dairy farm on Puglia's limestone plateau into Masseria La Cattiva -- which translates loosely as "the bad one," a nickname for the farm.
Backstory
The collective -- Leonardo, Alfredo, Paolo, Michele, Loreto, Manfredi, and Marianna -- had built technical expertise through years of home brewing before turning their attention to viticulture. In 2018 they began experimenting with natural fermentation; by 2019 they had committed fully to the project, reviving the estate and its six hectares of vines.
The Region
Sammichele di Bari sits on Puglia's inland limestone plateau at 280 meters above sea level, southeast of Bari. The calcareous soils and continental influence at altitude temper what might otherwise be overpowering southern heat, lending the wines a structure and freshness unusual for the heel of Italy.
Vineyards and Farming
All six hectares are farmed organically by hand. Only copper and sulfur are applied in the vineyard -- no synthetic treatments of any kind. The team harvests manually and handles everything in small batches, applying the precision of artisan brewing to viticulture.
Winemaking
Fermentation is 100 percent spontaneous with native yeasts. No sulfites are added at any stage, including at bottling. The approach draws directly on the collective's background in fermentation science, treating each vintage as an exercise in controlled wildness.
The Wines
La Cattiva produces a red from Primitivo, a white from Trebbiano, and a rosato from Primitivo. The wines are fresh and precise, more mineral and restrained than the appellation norm. The label "Running a Business" became a calling-card bottling, capturing the collective's tongue-in-cheek seriousness about their improbable project.
