Vinilia Wine Resortin Manduria

Why it’s on the Edit

Vinilia Wine Resort is a neo-medieval manor at Manduria, around Taranto and the Ionian coast, with a dominant tower and four small turrets. It dates to the early 1900s, when it was the summer residence of the noble Schiavoni family, and the Parisi Lacaita family restored it.

It stands among olive groves and Primitivo vines in Contrada Scrasciosa, and the site puts it a short way from the sea. The second of five price bands fits it (an estimate, since no official rate was found).

The reason to book is the building and the table. The interior is a mix of vintage and pop furniture, design pieces and objects from the 1950s and 1960s, made from the materials found in the old structure.

The rooms

The site lists eight types, from Classic to the Suite Vinilia, and calls every room unique. Beds of tuff alternate with beds of iron or wood made by local craftsmen. The style runs from strict minimalism to art deco, in what the resort calls unusual combinations.

The Classic room is about 20 m² under a Salento star vault. Five Superior rooms in the main house measure 33 or 36 m².

Superior rooms with a private garden are about 25 m² on the ground floor. Castle Deluxe rooms use Grottaglie ceramics.

The Castle Junior Suites include two Deluxe ones of 27 and 25 m², and one on the first floor opens to a large terrace. The Suite Vinilia, on the first floor, is quiet and has a large master room. Small dogs are accepted in rooms on request.

Eating and drinking

Casamatta is the resort’s restaurant. The kitchen applies French technique to local flavors and uses produce from the manor’s kitchen garden. The dining room mixes tables of different ages with modern chairs and a large steel fireplace.

From June to September dinner is served daily from 19:30 to 22:00. From October to May it is Monday to Saturday for dinner and Sunday for lunch from 12:30 to 14:00.

The resort packages a stay with breakfast and a tasting menu of 6 or 8 courses with wine pairings. A wine package adds a guided tasting of Puglian grapes.

The setting

The manor sits in open country between Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto, among olive groves and vineyards, in the land of Primitivo, with the sea a short way off and the Chidro river not far. The site suggests watching the sunsets and dawns from the garden or from the observation tower.

Below the walls the pool lies among old olive trees, in osmotic concrete chosen to blend with the landscape. It is open from May to October and serves light lunches and cocktails.

The site describes the common rooms inside as places for rest, reading and looking at the surrounding vineyards and farm buildings. Dogs may walk in the garden on a leash.

Good to know

• The pool is open from May to October.
• Casamatta has different hours in summer and from October to May.
• Small dogs are allowed in rooms on request, but not in indoor common areas or the pool.
• Packages combine a stay with a tasting menu and wine pairings, or with a guided wine tasting.
• The resort hosts weddings with civil or symbolic ceremonies.
• Children, a spa menu, room count and opening months are not confirmed here.
• Price band: 2 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Couples and wine lovers who like an eccentric building, a serious table and a pool among olive trees will enjoy it. A wedding party can use the manor for a civil or symbolic ceremony, and the resort names its old terrace over the vineyards at sunset as a favorite spot.

Look elsewhere if you want a conventional hotel, a quiet winter stay with a pool, or the sea at your door. Masseria Bagnara is another resort in the area with a guests-only pool and a beauty center.

Getting there

Vinilia Wine Resort is in Contrada Scrasciosa, Manduria, in the Taranto and the Ionian coast area. Brindisi is the nearer airport, and Bari is the alternative.

You need a car. The resort stands in open country among vineyards, and the beaches and the old towns around are separate drives.