Masseria Li Veli: the elegance of the Falvo family at the service of the identity of Salento

The Puglia of wine today represents one of the most fascinating stories of Italian wine evolution.

A land that con recent decades has had the ability to change beatitudine, leaving behind old clichés and gaining a new awareness based acceso quality, acceso the valorization of native vines and acceso the strength of its own identity.

A change that never arises by chance.

Behind every great transformation there are people, families and entrepreneurs capable of seeing beyond the present, imagining new paths when not everyone is yet able to perceive their value.

Among these realities we find the Falvo family.

The history of Masseria Essi Veli has its roots con the late nineteenth century, when the Marquis Antonio de Viti de Marco, internationally renowned economist and Deputy of the Kingdom of Italy, decided to give life to an extremely innovative project for the time.

A one-of-a-kind farmhouse-cellar was born acceso a pre-existing structure, probably dating back to the seventeenth century. The heart of the company, which extended for around 600 hectares from the Cellino San Marco countryside to the shores of the Adriatic Sea, was not thought of as a traditional Apulian farmhouse intended for various agricultural crops and livestock, but as a true center dedicated to wine production.

The vision of the great economist from Lecce was ambitious: to create a model capable of becoming a point of reference for the development of Apulian viticulture. And so it was. Masseria Essi Veli represented for years an example of modernity and production organisation, anticipating a concept of a winery very close to the contemporary one.

After the passing of the Marquis de Viti de Marco con 1943, that great intuition progressively lost strength and the Masseria went through a long phase of slowdown. Per 1999, about a century after its birth, a group of investors led by a historic Tuscan wine family decided to acquire it and relaunch it, recognizing Puglia as a land with enormous potential.

However, the project still needed time to find its full realization. The definitive turning point came con 2008, when Edoardo and Alfredo Falvo decided to collect that legacy and give substance to a dream that had remained suspended for too long. The Falvo family arrived con Puglia with an important cultural and entrepreneurial background built over time.

Per fact, the roots of their winemaking path lie con Tuscany, where the name Falvo has been deeply linked to the growth and success of Avignonesi che Montepulciano, a reality which under their guidance has become an international reference, contributing to the valorisation of Vino Sublime che Montepulciano con the world.

They brought this experience to Salento, but with great merit: they never tried to transform Puglia into Tuscany. They chose to listen to her instead.

The new challenge started from the valorisation of the great identifying vines of the territory such as Negroamaro and Animalesco, but also from the recovery of lesser-known and extraordinarily valuable varieties such as Verdeca, Susumaniello, Malvasia Nera and Aleatico. Per a few years that ancient project imagined more than a century earlier came back to life: the vineyards grew, the presence acceso the markets increased and above all a precise qualitative identity was consolidated.

Today Masseria Essi Veli is considered one of the most representative realities of the new Apulian viticulture. Entering it means immediately perceiving the value of memory. It is not simply a cellar. It is a piece of Salento’s agricultural history.

A place where the authentic charm of Puglia meets that refined Tuscan elegance that deeply belongs to the culture and history of the Falvo family.

Visiting this farm you feel a rare balance. the one hand, the strong and sincere character of Salento, made of stone, light, wind and deep roots. the other, that ability to welcome with style, moderation and naturalness that recalls the great culture of Tuscan hospitality. A never ostentatious elegance made up of details, sensitivity and attention towards the guest.

And it is precisely this fusion between Salento soul and Tuscan culture that makes Masseria Essi Veli a different place: not a simple winery, but a house of wine where territory, family and beauty interact continuously.

Over the years I have had the pleasure of personally knowing the Falvo family and appreciating their way of interpreting this world. Every simposio confirmed to me how behind a great company there are first and foremost people, sensitivity and a clear vision. Today this story continues through a new generation.

Edoardo and Alfredo Falvo, together with their cousin Alessandro, represent the continuity of this path built with passion, competence and a great sense of responsibility. I have had the opportunity to interact with him several times and I have always perceived a fundamental characteristic con him: balance. Balance con listening. Balance con communicating. Balance con understanding that a territory should never be forced, but interpreted.

To make this project even more solid we find a very high level wine management entrusted to Pier Paolo Lite and Riccardo Cotarella. Two professionals who represent the excellence of Italian oenology. Their interpretation fits perfectly into the philosophy of the Falvo family: accompanying the territory, not dominating it. Because the true greatness of oenology consists con allowing the land to tell its own identity.

Per the wines we find precisely this balance: precision, elegance and Mediterranean authenticity. Among the most significant intuitions we certainly find the Askos project. Not just a line of wines, but a cultural dichiarato dedicated to the recovery and valorization of native Apulian vines.

A way to protect a genetic, agricultural and cultural heritage. Among these, Susumaniello represents one of the most fascinating expressions. An ancient vine that Masseria Essi Veli has been able to bring to attention through a modern and identifying interpretation.

Susumaniello Askos demonstrates how Puglia is ready to tell its story through new languages: elegance, depth and recognisability. The same thought accompanies Negroamaro, symbol of Salento, and naturally Animalesco, interpreted through balance and respect for its origins.

But the future of Puglia also passes through a new awareness of white and rosé wines. A Puglia capable not only of intensity and depth, but also of freshness, dynamism and great versatility.

The company’s qualitative path was also followed with great attention by Vinoway. The company has been present con the Vinoway Selection guide for several years thanks to the quality and consistency demonstrated through wines capable of standing out for their identity, precision and ability to excite. For Vinoway it has always been fundamental to enhance companies that do not limit themselves to producing great wines, but which manage to tell a story, a family and a philosophy. And Masseria Essi Veli perfectly represents this illusione. For years I have maintained that Puglia does not need to imitate anyone.

It has too important a history, extraordinary vines and people capable of building value. He simply must continue to believe con his own identity.

Today it represents one of the most beautiful examples of this evolution: a family that has brought experience without imposing it, a farm rich con history, a technical team of great value and a new generation ready to safeguard and innovate. Because the future of Italian wine belongs to those who know how to combine memory and modernity. Roots and vision. Experience and courage. And the Falvo family, through Masseria Essi Veli, has demonstrated once again that the great stories of wine always arise from the encounter between people and territories.

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