The Franco's Estasi wines

A couple of months ago, soon after having written about Trani, I got a call.

“Good morning, am I speaking to Mr. Antonio Esposto?”.

“Yes” I reply, pretty curious to know with whom I was speaking to.

He adds: “My name is Franco, Franco Di Filippo. I am calling from Trani”.

Franco had red In Apulia, in which I described Trani and the amazing Passito wine made there.

“I am a wine maker. I make Passito wine and Spumante. The set of my wines is named Estasi”.

“Estasi?” It seemed to me like if I was talking with an angel, or someone from the Paradise.

“I’d like to ask you if you have had chance to drink my wine in Trani.” He said.

I got fascinated by the way he spoke, calm and slow.

“Frankly, I don’t remember what kind of wine I had drunk”. I admit.

Franco and I talked for almost half an hour on phone.

I close the conversation saying: “I promise you to come to Trani and interview you. I am keen to find out more about you and your wine”.

In one of my tours across Apulia, I manage to arrange an appointment with Franco.

He is a skinny man, with blue eyes, I guess over 50.

Franco, as Virgilio did with Dante, took me on a tour across Trani and the Moscato wine.

Trani was synonymous of wine-shop in Milan. 

Indeed, Giorgio Gaber wrote a song named Trani a gogo.

Moscato reale is a typical wine variety ("vitigno" in Italian) from Trani.

The legend says that Moscato reale was brought in Italy by the Greeks (“thank you Greeks!”).

Since the middle-age, the Venetians used to trade the Moscato reale made in Trani.

The Venetians found it so profitable, that some of them even relocated to Trani with their own families.

Franco had inherited three hectares of vineyards from his father.

Franco used to harvest the grapes and sell it to the national wine makers.

This went on till the 2005, when the prices fell down. 

In other words, Franco got paid 30 euros for 100 kilos of grapes. It was not worth it anymore, Franco thought.

Nevertheless, Franco is a visionary. So he begun to make his own wine in his own way.

Franco make the harvest every year at the end of October which is madness, but it works.

Recently, the Passito di Pantelleria has become world heritage, according to the UNESCO.

Franco is a strong believer. He is very gentle.

He lost his mum when he was a kid.

“I thank the Divine Providence for what I do, and for what I can’t do” Franco says.

Franco does not make wine just for profit.

He is very satisfied when he gets feedback form those who tastes his wines.

Like for example in Piacenza, during a wine exhibition, a lady confides: “Franco, I wanna kiss you, I wanna hug you”.

Franco sells the 85% of his production in Italy. The remaining 15% between Germany and Belgium.

A bottle of Passito Estasi (here is the link to the website) costs in Italy € 18. 

A bottle of Spumante Brut € 30.

Salute Franco!

If you wish to view more pics of Trani, please click here