The main purpose of the institution is to join forces and skills to make the most of the Salento wine sector and to promote the quality of the products of the reference area on the border between the provinces of Lecce and Brindisi. The consortium represents almost the totality of the businesses located in this area. These companies are united not only by a common commitment in the production of quality wines, but also by the desire to promote initiatives aimed at the protection and promotion of the territory beyond the borders of the Puglia region.
The Consortium now represents more than 1,000 hectares of vineyards located in the towns of Salice Salentino, Guagnano, Veglie, Campi Salentino and Novoli for the Province of Lecce and Cellino San Marco, San Donaci for the province of Brindisi, for a production of about 120,000 quintals of grapes with a production of 81,000 hectoliters of wine (production data of 2004), representing about 24% of the PDO production of Puglia.
The Consortium for the protection of PDO Salice Salentino Wines are comprising over five hundred members winemakers, growers and bottlers.
To the companies involved equal dignity will be recognized, which is reflected in the structure of the Board of Directors, at whose table five components for each of the three categories (winemakers, bottlers and vinegrowers) sit. The equitable representativeness of each of the three components is an element to which the consortium is especially keen, since it is a visible sign of cultural evolution.
A greater cohesion between the companies provides a concrete opportunity also to increase the bargaining power on the Italian and foreign markets.
