Rivera
Rivera
Biography
It was in the first years of the 20th century when Giuseppe de Corato decided to purchase the vast estate named Rivera in the Andria plain, one of the finest viticultural areas of northern Apulia. The vine, in fact, has been cultivated there since the days of Magna Grecia, and centuries of selection have identified native grape varieties of high potential, first and foremost Nero di Troia. But this was not de Corato’s sole impulse and inspiration: Andria and its surroundings have a fascination which goes beyond agriculture, to the point that, in the 13th century, it had bewitched even Frederic II of Swabia, the holy Roman Emperor, called for this reason “Puer Apuliae”; it is to him that we owe the construction of the Castel del Monte castle, the mysterious manor, an octagonal edifice of blonde stone which UNESCO has classified as part of the patrimony of humanity and which marks with its enigmatic presence the entire territory. Here, in the 1950’s, Sebastiano de Corato, the son of Giuseppe, founded the Rivera firm on the land purchased by his grandfather: he replanted the vineyards, restructured the old cellars, and created a bottling line. The success of the operation made Rivera a reference point for the oenology of northern Apulia. And precisely for this position of leadership, in the following years, when Sebastiano de Corato was joined by his son Carlo, the house was able to innovate in a way which rendered the viticulture and wine of the region less provincial: noble international grape varieties were planted in the vineyards, both Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Only long and patient work was able to verify the adaptability of these grapes to the local soil and climate, but the final effect was to enrich the viticultural possibilities of the region. Today Rivera gives greater emphasis to native grape varieties, and for this reason has re-launched Nero di Troia, for too long a time a greatly undervalued variety. The two most representative wines from the grape are red wines, both Castel del Monte DOC efforts: Il Falcone represents part of the story of the house, a Riserva wine produced ever since 1950, a blend of Montepulciano and Nero di Troia which reflects the local tradition of that period in time. Puer Apuliae, instead, a relatively recent wine, was first made in 2000 and is a pioneering effort in the creation of high level pure Nero di Troia. It is with wines of this type, produced from close to 240 acres of proprietary vineyards, that Carlo de Corato, now supported by his son Sebastiano who has joined him in the firm, has prepared himself for the challenges of the global markets of the third millennium.