The Beginning
Mark is a winemaker from California, Elvezia is a marketing guru from Friuli. They met in Sicily in 1997.
Mark proposed a visit to Puglia to see the very old Primitivo Vines. Mark had heard that Primitivo looked a lot like the Zinfandel that California is famous for. It is now known that they are genetically identical.
The vast extension of Primitivo would be an enchantment for anyone; for a California winemaker it was a calling. It was supposed to be a short vacation; they never left.
The Rest of the Story
Nothing has changed from the beginning; they produce excellent wines from exclusively native grapes. Their interpretation is a modern style with profound respect for the region. The philosophy is to offer extraordinary quality at reasonable prices.
Why “A Mano”?
Mark and Elvezia are artisans. They control every detail from the vineyard to the bottle with such care that their wines are truly produced by hand.
