After I arrived in Puglia for Radici del Sud, I spent two nights traveling around the region and even stayed in a trullo, one of the cconical stone structures so typical of the region.
Then we returned to our original hotel outside of Bari where we were reunited with the wine buyer members of our group for another tasting called “Discover Ciro Wines from Calabria” where 4 producers show one wine each. All are imported into the USA. Ole Udsen, “Mr Puglia,” did the translation and added his comments on Ciro wines in general.
Cirò Rosso 2013 Classico Superiore ‘‘A Vita” made from 100% Gaglioppo from vines up to 45 years old. Grapes are destemmed and fermented in stainless steel using only ambient yeast and the wine is aged in stainless steel tanks. The winery is certified organic.
Francesco de Franco from A Vita
The wine has hints of cherry, faded roses and tobacco with a very nice finish and aftertaste. 
Cirò Rosso 2013 Classico Superiore Cataldo Calabretta 100 % Gaglioppo. The vines are bush trained and are 15 years old. The soil is clay and limestone and there are 5,000 plants per hectare. The harvest is by hand the third week of October. Fermentation is spontaneous with native yeasts and there is a two-week maceration without temperature control. The wine is aged for 10 months in glazed cement tanks. It remains in the bottle for 7 months before release. The estate is certified organic.
Ciro Rosso 2012 Classico Superiore Scala, 100 % Gaglioppo. Soil is clay and sand and the exposure is south/southeast and the 10 year old vines are espalier trained. The grapes are destemmed and maceration takes place at 77°F until the fermentation is completed. After soft pressing, the wine is then racked and left in cement tanks for a minimum of 10 to 12 months. This is a robust wine with good red fruit and hints of sour cherry. 
Ciro Rosso Classico Superiore 2012 Cote di Franze made from 100% Gaglioppo. The vineyard is at 250 meters, soil is clay and sandy, alberello (bush) trained. The vines were planted in 1977/1958/1980. There are 9,000 plants per hectare. The hand harvest takes place in October. Fermentation is spontaneous, maceration is in stainless steel and the wine is aged in stainless steel for 12/24 months depending on the vintage.
At the hotel there was a blind tasting over four sessions for the wine competition and the top wines were announced. We were divided into four groups: two groups of buyers and two groups of press.
My group tasted over 200 hundred wines over two days in the four sessions. The wines were rated on a 100-point system.
Nicola Campanile and Ole Udsen “Mr Puglia”our Translator and Guide
Following is a quote by Nicola Campanile, organizer of the event, about the competition:
“The foreign buyers were part of two juries and expressed their judgment presumably giving particular attention to how appealing the wines can be to the market. Instead the journalists made up the other two groups and gave a more unconditional judgment. Buyers and journalists came from 13 foreign countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Great Britain, Holland, USA, Canada, Japan, Lithuania, India, Poland and Brazil).”
The top rated wines were announced on the last night of the event.
Two wines from Di Meo, one of my favorite producers, were picked as # 1 in their categories by the journalists: Greco di Tufo 2015 and the Fiano Di Avellino 2015.
It is interesting to note that the journalists and buyers only agreed on 3 wines but if it was #1 for the journalists, it was #2 for the buyers and visa versa. See the complete list of winning wines at the end of the blog.
The last tasting was from the Tujiano Winery: from 2015 to 2010
Puglia IGP Fiano Minutolo Colli della Murgia. 100% Fiano Minutolo. The origin of this grape variety is not known. It does not have any relation to Fiano di Avellino or the Fiano grown in Puglia but the IGP has to have Fiano Minutolo on the label, it cannot just say Minutolo. The wine was dry with good citrus aromas and flavors.
Nicola Campanile and Liciano Pignataro
The speakers were Nicole Campanile and Luciano Pignataro, a well known Italian wine and food blogger that I follow: www.lucianopignataro.it/
The Winning Wine from 2016 Radici del Sud Wine Competition
SPARKLING WINE (WHITE)
JOURNALISTS
1, CAPRETTONE, CASA SETARO
2, RISERVA NOBILE 2012, D’ARAPRÌ
BUYER
1, NOI DUE, TENUTA VIGLIONE
2, MACCONE SPUMANTE BIANCO BRUT, PUGLIA IGP, ANGIULI DONATO
ex aequo2 BUYER, TIATI METODO CLASSICO, PUGLIA IGP, CANTINE TEANUM
SPARKLING WINE (ROSE’)
JOURNALISTS
1, BRUT ROSÈ, D’ARAPRÌ
2, LEGGIARDO ROSATO, CONSORZIO PRODUTTORI VINI MANDURIA
ex aequo 2, DOVÌ ROSÈ, FERROCINTO
BUYER
1, LEGGIARDO ROSATO, CONSORZIO PRODUTTORI VINI MANDURIA
2 BUYER, LA VIE EN ROSE’, PUGLIA IGP, TENUTA COPPADORO
ex aequo 2, DOVÌ ROSÈ, FERROCINTO
FALANGHINA
JOURNALISTS
1, BENEVENTANO FALANGHINA IGP 2015, SANPAOLO
2, COSÌCOMÈ 2014, IGP PUGLIA, VALENTINA PASSALACQUA
BUYER
1, CRUNA DELAGO 2014, CAMPI FLEGREI DOC, LA SIBILLA
2, MAIOR 2012, FALANGHINA DEL SANNIO DOP, CANTINA FOSSO DEGLI ANGELI
CATARRATTO
JOURNALISTS
1, ANTISA CATARRATTO 2015, SICILIA DOC, TASCA D’ALMERITA
2, VIGNA CASALJ 2015, ALCAMO DOC, TENUTA RAPITALÀ
BUYER
1, TERRE ROSSE DI GIABBASCIO 2014, TERRE SICILIANE IGT, CENTOPASSI
2, ANTISA CATARRATTO 2015, SICILIA DOC, TASCA D’ALMERITA
GRILLO
GIORNALISTI
1, BLUES 2015, TERRE SICILIANE IGP, PAOLO CALÌ
2, GRILLO 2015, SICILIA DOC, FEUDO DISISA
BUYER
1, APOLLO 2014, TERRE SICILIANE IGP, FAUSTA MANSIO
2, ROCCE DI PIETRA LONGA 2014, TERRE SICILIANE IGT, CENTOPASSI
GROUP OF MIXED WHITE WINES FROM LESS POPULAR SOUTH ITALIAN GRAPES JOURNALISTS
1, BIANCO DI SEI 2014, ETNA DOC, PALMENTO COSTANZO
2, BUCECI BIANCO 2015, TERRE SICILIANE IGT, BUCECI VINI
3, KORE 2015, TERRE SICILIANE IGT, CANTINE COLOMBA BIANCA
BUYER
1, STRIALE 2015, PUGLIA IGP, TENUTA PATRUNO PERNIOLA
2, MALVASIA BIANCA 2015, SALENTO IGP, CONTI ZECCA
3, BIANCO DI SEI 2014, ETNA DOC, PALMENTO COSTANZO
GRECO
JOURNALISTS
1, GRECO DI TUFO DOCG 2015, DI MEO
2, LE PAGLIE 2015, MATERA DOC, CANTINE CERROLONGO
BUYER
1, JENTILINO 2015, TERRE DI COSENZA DOP, LA PESCHIERA
2, GRECO DI TUFO DOCG 2015, SOCIETÀ AGRICOLA NATIV
FIANO
JOURNALISTS
1, FIANO DI AVELLINO DOCG 2015, DI MEO
2, BIANCOFIORE 2014, DAUNIA IGP, KANDEA
BUYER
1, TRENTENARE 2015, PAESTUM IGP, SAN SALVATORE 1988
2, TORRE DEL FALCO 2015, PUGLIA IGP, TORREVENTO
GROUP OF MIXED ROSE’ WINE SOUTH ITALIAN GRAPES
JOURNALISTS
1, CIRÒ DOC ROSATO 2015, SCALA CANTINA E VIGNETI
2, OSA! 2015, TERRE SICILIANE IGP, PAOLO CALÌ
3, LE ROTAIE 2015, VALLE D’ITRIA IGP, I PASTINI
BUYER
1, NAUSICA 2015, SALENTO IGP, CARDONE
2, NERO DI TROIA ROSÈ, ROSSO DI CERIGNOLA DOC, BIOCANTINA GIANNATTASIO
3, SPEZIALE 2015, SALENTO IGP, TRULLO DI PEZZA
NERO DI TROIA
JOURNALISTS
1, OTTAGONO 2013, CASTEL DEL MONTE DOCG, TORREVENTO
2, NERO DI TROIA 2014, PUGLIA IGP, VALENTINA PASSALACQUA
BUYER
1, GRAN TIATI GOLD VINTAGE 2010, PUGLIA IGP, CANTINE TEANUM
2, LUI 2012, PUGLIA IGP, CANTINA MUSEO ALBEA
NEGROAMARO
JOURNALISTS
1, COPERTINO ROSSO DOC RISERVA 2008, CUPERTINUM – ANTICA CANTINA DEL SALENTO 1935
2, DANZE DELLA CONTESSA 2014, NARDÒ DOC, CANTINA BONSEGNA
BUYER
1, VECCHIO SOGNO 2014, SALENTO IGP, TENUTA GIUSTINI
2, POSTA PIANA 2014 PUGLIA IGP, CANTINE PARADISO
ex aequo 2, NERÌO 2013, NARDÒ DOC, SCHOLA SARMENTI
PRIMITIVO
JOURNALISTS
1, PRIMITIVO 2013,PUGLIA IGP, PIETREGIOVANI
2, IL RACCOMANDATO 2014, PUGLIA IGP, FIORE AZIENDA AGRICOLA
BUYER
1, PAPALE LINEA ORO 2013, PRIMITIVO DI MANDURIA DOP, VARVAGLIONE VIGNE E VINI
2, PRIMITIVO DI MANDURIA DOP 2012, ANTICA MASSERIA JORCHE
NERO D’AVOLA
JOURNALISTS
1, CURMA 2010, SICILIA IGT, A R M O S A
2, VUARIA 2010, SICILIA IGT, FEUDO DISISA
BUYER
1, SANTA CECILIA 2011, NOTO DOC, PLANETA
2, VUARIA 2010, SICILIA IGT, FEUDO DISISA
GROUP OF MIXED RED WINES FROM LESS POPULAR SOUTH ITALIAN GRAPES
JOURNALISTS
1, TAURASI S.EUSTACHIO 2008, TAURASI DOCG, BOCCELLA
2, GHIAIA NERA 2013, SICILIA DOC, TASCA D’ALMERITA
3, DON VINCENZO 2013, LACRYMA CHRISTI DEL VESUVIO DOC ROSSO, CASA SETARO
BUYER
1, ERUZIONE 1614 2013, SICILIA DOC, PLANETA
2, LIBICI 2012, CALABRIA IGP, CASA COMERCI
ex aequo 2, TAURASI 2011, TAURASI DOCG, TENUTA SCUOTTO
3, BOCCA DI LUPO 2011, CASTEL DEL MONTE DOC, TORMARESCA
GAGLIOPPO
JOURNALISTS
1, CIRÒ RISERVA 2012, COTE DI FRANZE
2, DUCA SANFELICE 2013, CIRÒ RISERVA, LIBRANDI
BUYER
1, ARCANO RISERVA 2009, CIRÒ ROSSO CLAS. SUP. RISERVA, SENATORE VINI
2, DOM GIUVÀ 2013, CIRÒ ROSSO CLASSICO SUPERIORE DOC, DU CROPIO VINERY
ex aequo2, JACCA VENTU SUPERIORE 2012, MELISSA DOP, LA PIZZUTA DEL PRINCIPE
AGLIANICO
JOURNALISTS
1, RASOTT 2012, IRPINIA CAMPI TAURASINI DOP, BOCCELLA
2, MILES 2012 CILENTO AGLIANICO DOC, CANTINE BARONE
BUYER
1, BORGOMASTRO 2007, COLLI DI SALERNO IGP, LUNAROSSA VINI E PASSIONE
2, AGLIANICO 2MILA10 2010, COLLI DI SALERNO IGP, MILA VUOLO
AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE
JOURNALISTS
1, LIKOS 2012, AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE DOC, VIGNE MASTRODOMENICO
2, AQUILA DEL VULTURE 2012, AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE DOC, LAGALA
BUYER
1, IL SIGILLO 2010, AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE DOC, CANTINE DEL NOTAIO
2, CAMERLENGO 2009, AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE DOC, CAMERLENGO
Charles Scicolone on Wine 