L'ARCHETIPO

Archetipo, autentich wines from Puglia

L'Archetipo is an Apulian winery located in Castellaneta, in the Murgia of Bari. It was founded by Francesco Valentino Dibenedetto, a farmer from birth and agronomist, son of Carlo Dibenedetto, a lifelong winemaker. In the 1980s he began converting the company to organic farming and in 2000 he switched to biodynamic methods.

However, Dibenedetto is still not totally convinced that these systems are in line with his ideologies, which is why he converted to the non-interventionist and totally sustainable practices of Masanobu Fukuoka, the forerunner of synergistic agriculture. According to this philosophy, the earth is able to nourish itself and regulate itself, which is why it should not be "touched", and draws nourishment from the substances that plants release naturally. The difference with organic and biodynamic farming is, among other things, that ploughing is not practised. Today, together with his wife Anna Maria and his four children: Carlo Nazareno, Domenico, Andrea and Maria Clelia, they cultivate 50 hectares of land, 30 of which are given over to vineyards.

They cultivate indigenous vines of the area without any use of chemicals: Primitivo, Aglianico, Negroamaro, Fiano and Greco, and revalue forgotten minor varieties such as Maresco, Marchione and Susumaniello. In the cellar, built entirely in tuff, the primary objective is to leave the characteristics of the fruit unchanged. Fermentation is spontaneous, using only indigenous yeasts, without any filtration. Archetipo's bottles are pure, authentic and expressive wines of the wonderful Puglia.