OUR STORY

My family has farmed the vineyards in the village of Venosa since the beginning of the 1900s. For decades, we sold the grapes and wines exclusively to locals and cooperatives in the area. It wasn’t until 2003 that I realized the great potential of old, indigenous aglianico grapevines, which are grown in the volcanic soils of Mt. Vulture, an ancient extinct volcano.

Along with my wife and sons, I built a new winery near the 16th century Madonna delle Grazie monastery on the hills that surround Venosa. We decided to bottle our first vintage wine with the name “Cantine Madonna delle Grazie”.

Today we work a 8.5 hectares of vineyards all planted with the aglianico grape variety. We take great care to both respect and nurture the unique ecosystems of these hills, which rise to an elevation of 400 to 500 meters.

Cantine Madonna delle Grazie is our work, our life and our home. I am very proud that after I’m gone, my sons will continue the traditions, values and the culture of our ancestors, producing wine with a deep and genuine respect for the environment.

– Giuseppe Latorraca

OUR TERRITORY

A double name (Basilicata and Lucania), a double sea (Tirreno and Ionio) and the doubled value of history and nature, bounded together, make Basilicata a unique region of Italy.

Vulture, the ancient volcano, stands as a witness of the long history of this place. It’s volcanic activity (from about 2.500.000 to 300.000 years ago) has generated two scenic lakes (the Monticchio natural settlement) and determined the mineral and pedagogical characteristics of the territory.

It’s grounds are still the perfect, fertile environment for grape growing. At the bottom of Mt. Vulture, sits the Roman city of Venosa, home to the poet Horace (from 1st century BC), who fa-mously wrote the poem “Carpe diem”(Odes 1.11).