Ottavianello: Beppe Di Maria’s Visionary Dream and the Soul of Carvinea
Written by Davide Gangi | Published in people, wine 
The story of a wine often begins long before its first harvest. It begins with an idea, a deep conviction, and the ability to notice what others have overlooked and turn it into a new opportunity.
Carvinea’s Ottavianello tells exactly this story: Beppe Di Maria’s determination to restore dignity to a rare, underappreciated, almost forgotten grape variety—one that is still capable of expressing one of the most elegant and surprising aspects of Apulia’s wine-growing tradition.
Non una semplice scelta produttiva, ma una visione costruita nel tempo, alimentata dalla passione, dall’esperienza e dalla volontà di lasciare un segno autentico nel mondo del vino.
Not just a production decision, but a vision developed over time, fueled by passion, experience, and the desire to leave a lasting mark on the world of wine.
Beppe Di Maria has chosen Carvinea as a space of absolute freedom—a place where he can freely express his vision, without compromise and without chasing fleeting trends. As he often likes to say, Carvinea represents his passion, his truth, and his home: the place where he cherishes his achievements, his experiences, his encounters, his challenges, and all the stories that have accompanied him on his long journey through the world of wine.
A project conceived not only to produce great wines, but also to leave a mark, to give voice to a region, and to demonstrate that even a forgotten grape variety like Ottavianello could once again write a new chapter in Apulian winemaking.
My acquaintance with Beppe Di Maria has given me a deep understanding of Carvinea’s philosophy. Over the years, I’ve come to believe that before you can truly describe a wine, you need to know the people behind it. Because every bottle is always the result of an idea, a sensibility, and a choice.
In Beppe, I found a determined, down-to-earth man who is deeply attached to his homeland, but above all, a person who possesses a rare quality: the ability to keep dreaming and making plans. Even today, though he is no longer a young man, he shows the kind of enthusiasm typical of people who are never satisfied with what they’ve achieved.
Keep thinking. Keep imagining. Keep building.
Because those who pursue a project with true passion don’t watch the time go by; instead, they focus on what they can still accomplish.
For him, Carvinea represents his home, his truth, the place where he cherishes his experiences, sacrifices, and successes, but also the starting point for new challenges. This philosophy is further strengthened by his decision to surround himself with professionals who share this vision. A fundamental role in the company’s pursuit of quality is entrusted to the winemaking leadership of Riccardo Cotarella and Pier Paolo Chiasso. Two generations and two perspectives in dialogue, united by the same vision of wine: respecting a territory’s identity and guiding it toward its highest expression of quality.
Great winemaking should never overshadow the character of a place, but rather have the ability to interpret it, enhance it, and make it recognizable. And it is precisely through this synergy between Beppe Di Maria’s vision and Chiasso Cotarella’s technical expertise that Carvinea continues to forge its own path.
Today, Ottavianello is one of the most fascinating and rare grape varieties in Apulia’s ampelographic heritage. Its history has deep roots. Ampelographic studies have shown that it is genetically related to Cinsault, an important red grape variety found primarily in southern France, particularly in Provence and the Rhône Valley.
According to some historical accounts, the grape variety is believed to have arrived in southern Italy between the 18th and 19th centuries, eventually establishing its own identity in the Ostuni area and the Brindisi region. The name “Ottavianello” is traditionally linked to the Ottaviano area, on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, where it is thought to have been first cultivated before spreading to Puglia. But a grape variety is not merely the result of its genetic origin. It is the land that nurtures it, the climate, human care, and time that shape its new identity. And it is precisely in Puglia that Ottavianello has found its own unique expression.
This grape variety is certainly one of the winery’s most distinctive symbols, but Carvinea is much more than that. It is research. It is experimentation. It is the constant desire to interpret the territory through different perspectives.
This approach also includes the initiative dedicated to the world of sparkling wines, a choice that confirms the company’s commitment to exploring new expressions of Apulian viticulture. This project envisions an Apulia capable of expressing itself through freshness, elegance, and depth, demonstrating how this region can move beyond the established images of the past.
But to tell the story of the winery solely through Ottavianello would be to limit a much broader narrative. Beppe Di Maria’s vision has always been to build a comprehensive winemaking project, capable of expressing the diverse spirits of his land through wines of great character. Alongside its work to revive and promote Ottavianello, Carvinea has also firmly believed in the production of sparkling wines, demonstrating how Puglia can express itself through new interpretations, elegance, and freshness, moving beyond old stereotypes linked exclusively to the strength and structure of Southern Italian wines.
Once again, this choice is consistent with Beppe’s philosophy: looking ahead, experimenting, but always with respect and that pursuit of excellence that defines his natural approach to every project. His latest challenge also fits into this framework: Titta, the new wine made from Verdeca grapes. This project once again confirms Beppe Di Maria’s desire to keep envisioning the future, without ever stopping. Because even today, with the same passion he had at the beginning, he continues to think, plan, and forge new paths.
The value of the project has also been recognized through its consistent inclusion in the Vinoway Selection Guide, where the winery has been featured for many years, consistently achieving excellent results. This track record of recognition not only reflects the quality of individual wines or vintages but also confirms the strength of a project built on professionalism, expertise, and a well-defined production philosophy.
Year after year, he has proven himself to be among those producers capable of maintaining high standards of quality over time, confirming that, for Beppe Di Maria, the pursuit of excellence is not a goal to be achieved, but simply his natural way of approaching wine.
For many years, Ottavianello remained in the shadows. While Puglia was establishing its reputation around its major varieties—such as Primitivo, Negroamaro, and Nero di Troia—this grape variety gradually fell out of favor. The area under cultivation became extremely limited.
Today, the presence of Ottavianello in Puglia is almost a rarity in the world of wine: the area under cultivation is extremely small, estimated at just a few dozen hectares, concentrated mainly in the Brindisi area and, in particular, in the Ostuni region—the historic heartland of this variety. These figures are almost symbolic when compared to the thousands of hectares of the region’s major grape varieties, but precisely for this reason, they are all the more precious. Because the value of a grape variety is not measured solely by its prevalence, but by its ability to preserve memory, biodiversity, and regional identity.
Ed è davanti a questa consapevolezza che la scelta di Beppe Di Maria assume ancora più significato: credere nell’Ottavianello significava proteggere una piccola parte della storia vitivinicola pugliese e offrirle una nuova possibilità. Una scelta ragionata quella di credere nel potenziale di un vitigno che molti avevano dimenticato e riportarlo all’attenzione attraverso un progetto qualitativo importante.
At a time when Puglia was often associated primarily with powerful, full-bodied, and highly concentrated wines, Beppe Di Maria chose a different path.
He chose elegance. He chose refinement. He chose identity.
Ottavianello perfectly embodied this vision: a wine capable of showcasing a different side of Puglia—one that is more subtle and refined, based on balance rather than sheer power. Over time, other producers have contributed to the preservation and promotion of this variety. Its revival demonstrates just how important it is to continue investing in biodiversity and in the promotion of native grape varieties or those with deep historical roots in the region.
But credit must be given to Beppe Di Maria for having believed deeply in this grape variety, incorporating it into an ambitious, modern business project capable of contributing to a new perception of its quality. Carvinea was founded in the Carovigno area with the goal of showcasing the authentic spirit of Puglia through wines that bridge the past and the future. It is a journey in which tradition and innovation are never at odds, but rather tools for enhancing a sense of identity.
The story of Beppe Di Maria and Carvinea shows that wine is not just about production, but also about interpretation, sensitivity, and the ability to believe in something even before the market recognizes its value.
Because behind every great project, there is always a choice.
Today, Carvinea is not just a home for wines. It is a home for the passion, the truth, and the story of a man who chose this land as his home—a place to reflect on his journey, his achievements, and his way of experiencing wine.
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