PRODUTTORI DI MANDURIA
Produttori di Manduria is a cooperative that brings together 400 artisans who can claim the title of "Masters in Primitivo". The foundations of the current cooperative were laid in 1928 when a small circle of winemakers took over a factory creating the Wine Federation, made official in the following years with the birth of the Consorzio Produttori Vini e Mosti Rossi superiore per taglio per la zona di Manduria; the aim was to enhance the wine symbol of the Apulian territory, the Primitivo di Manduria. It is no coincidence that more than half of the vineyards belonging to the Cooperative are used only for the production of Primitivo. This area is located within the Primitivo di Manduria DOC disciplinary area, in the provinces of Taranto and Brindisi. Among the cornerstones around which the philosophy of the members there is the integrated control or the defense of crops by means of selective and non-toxic pesticides for humans, fight against harmful insects, use of crop rotations, elimination of infected plants. In addition, all pesticide treatments are suspended at least 40 days before harvest, to allow the plant to get rid of any residues. In addition to the production of Primitivo, the Cooperative also deals with the cultivation of another native grape of the place: it is the Negroamaro, whose grapes make up 25% of the production.