Summary
Cantine Due Palme in Cellino San Marco is one of the largest and most successful growers' cooperatives in Puglia – and a model of how smallholder viticulture in the Salento made the leap onto the world market. Founded in 1989 by Angelo Maci with 15 estates, it now brings together around 1,000 member growers farming some 2,500 hectares across the provinces of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto. The focus is on the native red grapes Negroamaro, Primitivo and Malvasia Nera, plus the rediscovered Susumaniello. Its best-known wine is Selvarossa Salice Salentino Riserva DOC. In 2022 Gambero Rosso named Due Palme cooperative of the year.
History
The story of Due Palme begins in 1989 in Cellino San Marco, a town in the hinterland between Brindisi and Lecce. Angelo Maci, a fourth-generation grower, persuaded 15 estates to pool their resources. These were small family holdings of just a few hectares that would have had little future on their own. The oldest of the cellar sites later taken over dates back to the 1950s.
Like almost all of Puglia, Due Palme initially lived off bulk wine: at the time the south of Italy mainly supplied blending wine to the north and abroad. In the mid-1990s came the strategic decision to bottle and market the wines under its own name – by the company's own account from around 1995. Maci pursued exports from the very start; first contacts at a trade fair in Montpellier led to a major Dutch importer.
That turning point produced a business that today makes roughly 20 million bottles a year and lists around 40 different wines. The cooperative now operates at several sites in the Salento, including Lizzano, San Pietro Vernotico and the Arnesano/Monteroni area. In November 2021 Angelo Maci handed the presidency to his daughter Melissa Maci, remaining active as founder and honorary president. A historic tower in Cellino San Marco, "Il Castello", is to be developed into a wine tourism project.
Location & terroir
Cellino San Marco lies in the Salento, the "heel" of the Italian boot, roughly halfway between the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea. The landscape is flat to gently rolling and the climate decidedly Mediterranean: plenty of sunshine, hot summers, little rainfall. Because the sea is never far away, steady winds cool the nights and keep the grapes healthy – one reason why the Salento traditionally needs little spraying.
Defining the character are the iron-rich red soils (terra rossa) over a limestone subsoil that are typical of the Salento. They store warmth, retain moisture and are considered an ideal base for Negroamaro and Primitivo: fully ripe grapes with dense dark fruit, soft tannins and moderate acidity. Because the member estates are spread across the three provinces of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto, the cooperative can draw on very different parcels – from sites near the coast to the warmer interior.
Style & philosophy
Angelo Maci's motto runs roughly: alone you can win, but together you win better. That is precisely the philosophy of the house – modern cellar technology and oenological advice for many small farms that could never afford it alone. Vineyard management, harvest dates and selection are steered centrally, and vinification takes place in a very well-equipped cellar.
Stylistically the wines stand for the warm, approachable Salento character: dark ripe fruit, herbal spice, velvety tannins. The top wines age in French and American oak without masking the Apulian generosity. A particular concern of the Maci family is preserving the traditional bush-vine training known as "alberello pugliese" and reviving almost vanished native varieties – above all Susumaniello, today one of the most exciting red grapes in Puglia. The range is rounded out by Negroamaro rosati, fresh whites from Fiano and Chardonnay, and sparkling wines.
Well-known wines
As a cooperative, Due Palme defines itself not through single vineyards but through its wine ranges. The best known are:
- Selvarossa – Salice Salentino Riserva DOC from Negroamaro with Malvasia Nera, the flagship of the house
- 1943 del Presidente (also listed as "1943 del Fondatore") – a blend of Primitivo and Aglianico named after Angelo Maci's year of birth
- Ettamiano – Primitivo di Manduria DOC Riserva from old vines, aged in French barrique
- Serre – a varietal Susumaniello (Salento IGP) matured in barrique
- Angelini (Squinzano DOC) and Camarda (Brindisi Rosso DOC) – classic Negroamaro–Malvasia Nera blends
- Selvamara (Negroamaro Salento IGP), Santa Caterina (Chardonnay Salento IGP) and the rosé Corerosa
Awards
Due Palme is among the most decorated producers in southern Italy. Selvarossa has taken Gambero Rosso's coveted Tre Bicchieri across several vintages, and 1943 del Presidente also earned that top score – in the 2021 guide, for example. The Italian sommelier foundation Bibenda awarded 5 Grappoli to both Selvarossa and 1943.
The most important recognition came in 2022: in the Vini d’Italia 2023 guide, Gambero Rosso named Cantine Due Palme "Cooperativa dell’Anno" – cooperative of the year – honouring more than three decades of work for the territory and its commitment to more sustainable production. Together with San Marzano, Due Palme stands for the Apulian cooperatives that have restored the region's international reputation.