It is thought that wine-growing occurred as early as 5400 years BC in the East, but only around the middle of the second millennium BC did the growing expand to the Italian coasts.
In the Salento, Greek settlers introduced the "alberello speronato" way of cultivation (grapes are grown low on bush vines). It is a cultivation technique without a framework and is still practised, especially in the Leverano area. Unfortunately, this ingenious way of growing is disappearing little by little, since full mechanization is not possible in such situations.

Nowadays, evidence of the area's former settlers does still exist. In the region between Otranto and Gallipoli, called "La Grecia Salentina", the people still speak "griko". The "i traùdia" song and music of the inhabitants still hark back to Greek mythology.

Apulia, Italy's largest winegrowing region, offers the Negroamaro as the most widely grown local red variety. It was presumably the Greeks who brought this grape to the Ionian coast. Because of its sturdy shoots with short internodes, this particular grape is very well suited for low vine growing without a framework.

The mainly karstic Salento region has no surface waters; watering is only possible on a very infrequent basis. Therefore, the vines' hydrologic balance has to be preserved by constant tilling of the soil.

The Rosé of the Negroamaro grape is fermented following a very special method. The must fermentation occurs at a controlled temperature and as soon as the skins have formed the cap, parts of the fermenting must are removed and the fermentation is finished without further contact with the skins.