Manet Community Health is holding its June Bloom fundraiser on June 4th. One of the features of the event is a wine and extra virgin olive “pull”. There are 75 bottles of wine and 40 bottles/tin of extra virgin olive that are included in the “pull”. An attendee at the fundraiser will purchase a chance for $25 and randomly “win” either a bottle of wine or a bottle/tin of extra virgin olive oil. The purchaser of the chance decides whether he/she wants wine or extra virgin olive oil.
In addition to the wine pull there are several silent auction items including a trip to the Amalfi Coast and Southern Italy. Follow the link for information on this special silent auction item. https://secure.qgiv.com/event/junebloom2026/item/656185
The following is a brief description of the wineries that have produced the bottles of red wine included in the “pull” For the first time I have used Anthropic Claude AI to assist in the writing of the descriptions of the wineries.
Casa di Baal — Montecorvino Rovella, Campania, Italy
Casa di Baal practices organic and biodynamic farming with a deep respect for nature’s rhythms. Sustainable techniques include green manure, minimal tillage, and the use of indigenous yeasts. In the cellar, the winery favors spontaneous over forced fermentation and practices a rational use of sulfur dioxide, aiming to maintain the purity of the wine while preserving its natural qualities. With an estate of 30 hectares — five of which are dedicated to vineyards — Casa di Baal follows the model of a closed-loop agricultural organism, recycling resources within the same ecosystem and minimizing external inputs. Each bottle is intended as a genuine reflection of the land and the soul of “Campania felix.” ErarioDecántalo
The Salerno family started the farm in 1976 when Annibale and his father bought and cleared and leveled the land for agriculture. At first, Casa di Baal focused on the production of extra virgin olive oil. In 2006, Casa di Baal began its production of wine. The bottle in the above photo in the bottom row third bottle from the left is an Aglianico based wine produced by Casa di Baal. Today, Annibale’s daughter Francesca manages the winery and his son Mario manages the olive oil mill. In addition to the production of wine and extra virgin olive oil. Casa di Baal is full functioning farm with fruit, vegetables and livestock. Casa di Baal provides educational classes to the local schools.
Le Vigne di Raito — Vietri sul Mare, Amalfi Coast, Salerno, Campania, Italy
Le Vigne di Raito is an agritourism farm certified organic by ICEA (the National Environmental Institute), located a few kilometers east of Salerno in Vietri sul Mare on the Amalfi Coast. The terraced vineyards span approximately two hectares and are cultivated using traditional Amalfi Coast methods, with around 3,500 plants per hectare. Hand-harvesting is standard practice, and no fertilizers or chemicals are used. The absence of additives allows the wines — made from Aglianico and Piedirosso grapes— to express a natural fruity character with an intense aroma. Founded and run by Patrizia Malanga, the estate produces just a few thousand bottles per year of two wines: the red Ragis (which is in the above photo, bottom row 5th bottle from the left) and the rosé Vitamenia. LE VIGNE DI RAITOWineTourism
Patrizia purchased the land for the vineyard in 2001. After several years of planting on a terraced land, Le Vigne di Raito produced its first vintage in 2007. With its elevated terraced vineyards and proximity to the Gulf of Salerno and the Mediterranean Sea, the winery features stunning water views. It is a popular destination for weddings and gatherings. Le Vigne di Raito is available for wine tours, which includes a luncheon option. The winery is included in the Manet June Bloom Silent Auction Tour of the Amalfi Coast and Southern Italy mentioned above.
Reale (Azienda Agricola Reale) — Tramonti, Amalfi Coast, Salerno, Campania, Italy
Reale is a certified organic winery operating out of a tiny cellar in Tramonti, where Luigi and Gaetano Reale produce five wines totaling around 15,000 bottles. The extreme terrain of the vineyards makes anything other than traditional, low-tech farming essentially impossible. Luigi and Gaetano cultivate three hectares of certified organic vineyards, including centuries-old Tintore di Tramonti vines using the traditional pergola trellis system — some plants standing nearly six feet tall with massive trunks, grown on their own roots well above the reach of phylloxera. Winemaking is deliberately restrained: fermentation takes place in stainless steel, and aging is done in stainless steel and 400-liter barrels, allowing the indigenous varieties — Tintore, Piedirosso, Biancolella, Pepella, and Biancazita — to express themselves without heavy-handed cellar treatment. Mucci Imports + 2
Their flagship wine, Borgo di Gete (bottom row 7th bottle from left in above photo), is made with only the Tintore grape from vines that are up to 140 years old. Reale is one of a few wineries to produce a 100% Tintore wine. The Reale brothers welcome visitors to their winery which also features an osteria with views of the Amalfi Coast mountains and a bed and breakfast. Adjacent to their vineyards is a chapel that was built circa 500 AD. It is a sought out venue for weddings.
Vigne Guadagno — Avellino, Avellino, Campania, Italy
Vigne Guadagno was founded in 2010 by brothers Giuseppe and Pasquale Guadagno, who returned to their home region of Avellino after years of work in the manufacturing sector to pursue a long-held dream of making wine. Their vineyards sit on extremely steep terrain at close to 450 meters of elevation, where the volcanic tufo soils are mixed with chalk, clay, and veins of sulfur — a legacy of the historic sulfur mines of the Avellino. The terrain demands that everything be done by hand. The brothers converted their vineyards to organic farming and work with Greco di Tufo, Fiano, and Aglianico — varieties that benefit from the region’s hot days, cool nights, and mineral-rich soils. Mucci Imports
The Guadagno brothers have a strong connection with the Boston area. For the past several years they have attended Mucci Imports annual Festa at Mida’s in Newton. Nick Mucci invites representatives from wineries included in his portfolio. Guadagno’s Taurasi (top row third from the left in the above photo), a low intervention wine, is a favorite at the event.
Regina Viarum — Falciano del Massico, Caserta, Campania, Italy
The story of Regina Viarum begins in the early 1900s, when the Maddalena family patriarch Michele Maddalena cultivated vines with dedication on the slopes of Monte Massico. The winery was formally established in 1996 by Elda Maddalena and her husband Paquale who registered their vineyards within the Falerno del Massico DOC and built their cellar out of genuine passion for their inherited land. Regina Viarum was the first winery to convert to organic viticulture within the Falerno del Massico DOC. Their two hectares of vines at the base of Monte Massico grow in a volcanic, clay-and-sand soil, with vines ranging from 40 to over 100 years of age — some pre-phylloxera — surrounded by a natural ecosystem that grows wild amongst the vines to enrich the soil. The winery is located in the basement of the family home, production is intentionally tiny at around 25,000 bottles annually, and yields are kept extremely low, with great selectivity in choosing which grapes will make the cut. Their flagship wine is a Primitivo from the rare Falerno del Massico DOC, and their Falanghina — first produced in 2018 in a limited run of under 1,000 bottles and vinified in amphora — reflects a particularly hands-off approach in the cellar.
The Primitivo grape which is used to make Zer05 (the botom row second on the left in the above photo) is more commonly recognized as a grape grown in the Region of Puglia. There are several wineries, however, in the Falerno del Massico DOC that make wine with the Primitivo grape.
Teresa Mincione — Caiazzo, Caserta, Campania
A former criminal defense lawyer turned winemaker, Teresa Mincione focuses on grape varieties indigenous to the Caserta area — Pallagrello Bianco, Pallagrello Nero, and Casavecchia — cultivating them in the Caiatine hills as a precious legacy to be guarded and passed on. Her cornerstone is the Monticelli Vineyard, about 3 hectares, trained on the pergola and almost forty years old, which she believes yields wines of natural and spontaneous elegance. In the cellar, Casavecchia — a grape often treated with heavy extraction and extended oak aging — is handled with a much lighter touch: Teresa lightens the approach to highlight elegance, momentum, and freshness, offering a more contemporary and terroir-driven reading of this ancient variety. DoctorWine + 2
Teresa’s first vintage was 2021. She had purchased the Monticelli Vineyard from our close friends, wife/husband Manuela Piancastelli and Peppe Mancini, who were the owners of the much heralded Terre del Principe winery. Nulla e` per caso (fourth bottle from the left in the bottom row in the above photo) is Teresa’s first wine produced and is made with the Casavecchia grape.
Sergio Arcuri — Ciro Marina, Crotone, Calabria
Founded in 1880 by great-grandfather Peppe, Sergio Arcuri’s winery in Cirò Marina, Calabria, is an artisanal gem with a history rich in dedication. The vines, grown according to organic principles using the alberello and spurred cordon systems, were planted in 1945 and 1980 respectively, in soils that have been free of synthetic chemicals for nearly a century. In the cellar, the philosophy mirrors the vineyard: spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, no invasive intervention, no external substances, with vinification and ageing in open cement tanks known as palmenti. The focus is entirely on Gaglioppo, one of Italy’s oldest noble varieties, rumored to have been the basis for the Krimisa wine given to winners of the ancient Olympic Games. Vini Sud Shop + 3
When the local DOC consortium, which is dominated by large producers, relaxed the requirements to allow non-Gaglioppo grapes to be added to the wine and still be classifed as Ciro` Riserva DOC certified wine, Sergio and several of his colleagues refused to “compromise” their wine. They are continuing the tradition of Ciro` Riserva being comprised of 100% Gaglioppo grapes – no Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot or other non-Gaglioppo grapes to be added to “maximize” the production of Ciro` Riserva wine (6th from the left in the bottom row in the above photo). Sergio and his colleagues refer to themselves as the Ciro` Revolution. Sergio produces about 25,000 bottles per year.
Cantina Pantun — Mottolo, Taranto, Puglia
In the heart of Apulia, among the hills of Mottola in the province of Taranto, Cantina Pantun produces natural and organic wines on 8 hectares of land shaped by hills, ravines, and Mediterranean scrub. Husband Mimmo (from the restaurant industry) and wife Jutta (from cultural activism and Germany) started the cantina in 2012 out of a shared desire to connect with the land, farming organically and vinifying with the least intervention possible. The name “Pantun” comes from the local dialect meaning quagmire — a nod to the historically fertile, once-boggy land. Their natural wines contain no biotechnology and are neither filtered nor clarified. Primitivo is the main grape, alongside a small planting of Greco Bianco, a local variety on the verge of extinction. Cantina Pantun + 3
When they started the winery there was no electricity on the property, For the first several years of operation, Jutta and Mimmo lived “off the grid”. Recently, they have brought electricity on the property. They leave one hectare of land without vegatation as this and is used as a buffer to separate their organically cultivated land from a neighboring chemical infused land. Their flagship wine is Pantun, made with the Primitivo grape (8th bottle from the left in thebottom row in the above photo).
Terre di Balbia — Altomonte, Cosenza, Calabria
Founded in 2001 and revitalized in 2014 by engineer Giuseppe Chiappetta and his brother Nicola, Terre di Balbia is located in the medieval village of Altomonte in Calabria, whose wines were praised by Pliny the Elder as “balbino,” a divine nectar. Cultivation is based on holistic management of the vine ecosystem, focusing on the health of the plants, the preservation of biodiversity, and the reduction of environmental pollution. Organic production relies exclusively on preventive treatments of copper and sulfur, with all vineyard work done by hand — no herbicides, no fertilizers, and dry farming with crop thinning near véraison to enhance quality. Three single-varietal wines are produced — Fervore (Magliocco), Ligrezza (Gaglioppo), and Blandus (Merlot) — each a cru vinified in purity with processes that respect the wine’s character. Erario + 3
When the Chiapetta family assumed controlof the vineyard in 2014 they replaced Sangiovese and other non-indigenous grapes in 7 of the 8 hectares with indigenous grapes; Magliocco and Gaglioppo. They did, however, leave one hectare of Merlot grapes. The reasoning is that the vines are “historic” in that they are over 30 years old. Terre di Balbia produces between 25,000 to 30,000 bottles per year. Their Fervore wine is made 100% with the indigenous Magliocco grape (second from left in the top row in the above photo).
Michele Laluce —Ginestra, Potenza, Basilicata
The Azienda Agricola Michele Laluce sits in the Vulture area of Basilicata, at the foot of an extinct volcano, with less than 6 hectares dedicated primarily to Aglianico del Vulture DOC and DOCG. Though the family’s wine history dates to the early 1900s, Michele formally established the winery in 2001, taking over his father’s vines and tending every single vine himself with great personal care. The estate follows the principles of organic farming, focusing above all on quality, though it is not formally certified. Ageing takes place in both stainless steel and oak, allowing the volcanic-soil Aglianico to express its characteristic power and structure without heavy-handed intervention. Vinilaluce + 2
Michele with the assistance of his four daughters produces Le Drude, an Aglianico del Vulture red wine (4th from left in the top row). The name Le Drude was given by the Piedmontese soldiers out of respect during the Italian Risorgimento (1861-1870) to the fierce fighting courageous peasant women of the Lucanian brigands. This wine is dedicated to their courage and braveness. At the right part of the label is a silhouette of two “Le Drude” women. Note Lucania is the ancient name for the part of Italy where the winery is located.
Casula Vinaria – Campagna, Salerno, Campania
Casula Vinaria is a certified organic winery founded in 2007 by three cousins — Armando Ruggiero, Daniele, and Fiorello Iuorio — all trained as agricultural and enological technicians, located in Mattinelle in the municipality of Campagna in Salerno province. The winery’s guiding philosophy is rooted in a commitment to protecting and enhancing the local land and culture, producing wines that are healthy, natural, authentic, and an expression of the grape variety and terroir. Inspired by the proverb “We do not inherit the land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children,” the team sees themselves as stewards of the agricultural traditions passed down by their grandparents. They practice low-impact viticulture and their flagship wines include an Aglianico and a Fiano. Tripadvisor + 2
Their entry level Aglianico based wine, Brigante is the first bottle on the left in the bottom row in the above photo. The cousins produce approximately 25,000 bottles per year.
Il Cancelliere — Montemarano, Avellino, Campania
Il Cancelliere is a family-run winery founded by Soccorso Romano (whose nickname gives the estate its name), situated in the heart of Montemarano — an area particularly well-suited to Taurasi DOCG production. Grapes grow at 450–600 meters altitude on clay-limestone soils and are harvested by hand. The winery uses no chemical fertilizers or additives in either the vineyard or the cellar, and vinification follows the traditions of peasant farming culture, with aging in old wooden barrels. In the cellar, no filtration, clarification, or stabilization is performed, and no sulfites are added. The family’s objective is to bring out the purest expression of the grape and to make wine as their ancestors did, with only native yeasts used for fermentation. The estate focuses almost exclusively on Aglianico, producing wines under the Irpinia DOC and Taurasi DOCG denominations. WineTourism + 2
Rita Pizza and her husband Enrico Romano make the powerful red wine, Nero Ne Taurasi (5th from the left in the top row in the above photo) with grapes from the Romano family vineyard. Soccorso and Pasqualina Romano (patriarch and matriarch) started bottling wine with their grapes in 2005. Prior to 2005, the family sold their grapes. Today the daily operations are managed by Soccorso’s and Pasqualina’s son Enrico and daughter-in-law Rita Pizza. Daughters Nadia and Tiziana and son-law Claudio Panetta are involved with marketing and sales. The family produces about 20,000 bottles of wine per year.
Antico Castello — San Mango sul Calore, Avellino, Campania
Antico Castello was founded in 2006 in the Taurasi area and takes its name from an ancient feudal building destroyed in the 1980 earthquake. The winery combines traditional winemaking with modern technologies, blending passion for the land with an entrepreneurial vision. Their philosophy centers on sustainable viticulture and integrated pest management. The winery works exclusively with its own grapes on clayey-limestone soils at 450 meters elevation, with south-east-facing vineyards benefiting from the Calore river below. The portfolio is led by Taurasi (6th bottle from the left in the top row), alongside Irpinia DOC wines made from Aglianico, Fiano, Greco, and Falanghina. Anticocastello + 2
Francesco and Chiara, brother and sister, have been charged with the responsibility of assuming the leadership of the family’s vineyards. With the assistance of their parents, they produce wines in a large newly constructed cellar capable of vinifying more than their annual production of 50,000 bottles. Francesco and Chiara lease their excess capacity to smaller local producers who do not have a cantina. Antico Castello also features a large modern tasting room overlooking the vineyard. The Taurasi is made from hand-picked grapes in early November. The wine ages in both barrique and Tonneau barrels (larger oak barrels). The farm, named after a castle destroyed in the devastating earthquake of 1980, adheres to organic practices.
Stefania Barbot Winery Paternopoli, Avellino, Campania
In 2010, Stefania Barbot and her husband Erminio Spezia purchased the vineyard that included vines older than 70 years. This was the fulfillment of the couple’s dream. Stefania and Erminio operated the cantina out of a converted warehouse but had plans for a modern cantina with a tasting room. Sadly, Erminio became ill and passed away before the couple’s plans for a modern cantina could become reality. Over the past couple of years, Stefania, with the assistance of her two daughters has continued the dream of producing a quality “softer” Taurasi than the more traditional robust Taurasi. She produces about 30,000 bottles per year.
The wine originates in Paternopoli, a small village dating back to pre-Roman times, set on the rolling green hills of the southern Apennines at around 500 meters above sea level, within the Taurasi DOCG area. The calcareous clay soil, the wide variations between day and night, and the hills covered with ancient vines create an ideal environment for their vineyards. La Rosa SelectionsThe winery extends over approximately 4 hectares, mainly cultivated with native grape varieties such as Fiano and Aglianico for Taurasi. The estate follows a completely natural approach to winemaking, using only traditional methods and respecting the surrounding environment. Production is strictly limited and controlled to guarantee the highest quality. Vinopuro
There are two bottles of Stefania’s wine included in the wine pull (in the above photo the 7th and 8th bottles from the left, Fren a Taurasi and Ion a Campi Taurasini).
Bric Cenciurio — Barolo, Piedmont
Nestled atop Cenciurio Hill in the Langhe region, Bric Cenciurio has been a family-run winery since the early 1990s, founded by Franco Pittatore and his brother-in-law Carlo Sacchetto. From the outset, the founders aimed to cultivate high-quality grapes while minimizing the use of synthetic chemicals — a commitment rooted in the agricultural traditions passed down through generations. Today the estate spans about 18 hectares across the municipalities of Barolo, Novello, Castellinaldo, and Magliano Alfieri, and is run by Franco’s sons Alessandro and Alberto, along with their mother Fiorella and uncle Carlo. The vineyards are organically farmed, though without formal certification. In the cellar, winemaking techniques are handed down from generation to generation, with an emphasis on expressing the character of the terroir. The wines are noted for their minerality, aromatic expression, elegance, and balance. WineTourism + 3
Poggio Cagnano — Manciano, Maremma Toscana, Tuscany
Poggio Cagnano is a boutique organic and biodynamic winery in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma, near Manciano in Grosseto Province. Founded in 2005 by Alessandro and Eleonora, the estate spent a decade restoring ancient olive groves and planting vineyards before its first vintage in 2014. They farm organically and biodynamically, with an emphasis on sustainability, native grape varieties, and minimal intervention. The estate covers approximately 5 hectares of certified organic vineyards at 450 meters above sea level, halfway between Monte Amiata and the Argentario coast, with vines aged 10–20 years growing on sandy soils rich in sandstone and galestro. The focus is on native Tuscan and Mediterranean varieties: Vermentino, Ansonica, Sangiovese, Alicante, and Ciliegiolo. In the cellar, the approach is strictly natural — spontaneous alcoholic and malolactic fermentations, minimal intervention, and total sulfite levels kept below 30 mg/L. La Rosa Selections + 2
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