The history of the Cardone winery, surrounded by the picturesque landscape of the Itria Valley, began in the 70’s, when granddad Giuseppe and his son Franco bought a winery on the outskirts of Locorotondo and established what is now one of the oldest and most prestigious family-run wineries in Puglia, already in its third generation with Marianna and her brother Vito. This was a choice that was in line with the changes taking place in those years in the entire region of the “Tavoliere”. It was then that Puglia decided to stop being the “reservoir” of northern Italy and began producing quality wines. Today’s winery owes everything to the initiative of Giuseppe Cardone, the eldest of seven children and a man of great intelligence and intuition. A histrionic person who, although living in the countryside, did not work the land, he devoted himself to commerce (buying and selling everything that he could). In the late 60’s he began to attend the wine markets of the northern regions, in particular those of Asti, Milan and Verona. Giuseppe’s fame and esteem grew in the north of Italy; in a short time he was appraised and esteemed by all the most renowned names in the wine industry. He had no other hobbies other than the love for his only son, Franco, who he strongly desired to have at his side, as soon as he finished his studies. A wish fulfilled in the 70’s, which was fully realized with the purchase of a winery in Locorotondo. It is under the guidance of Franco that the family company specialized in the production of high quality wines. Thanks to a team of qualified professional winemakers and agronomists selected by him, the Cardone estate has become one of the oldest wineries in Puglia, thanks to its ability to combine the ancient heritage of regional winemaking tradition, passion and knowledge of the past combined with modern technology. Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate  "Here's a very exciting producer from Puglia that is definitely worth checking out. Enologist Leonardo Palumbo is one of the most respected winemakers in Puglia. I was impressed by the estate's 2015 offerings and am happy to see the very reasonable price points across the Cardone portfolio.''