The Good, the Grit, and the Limestone

For a long time, Apulia produced wine without owning its story.
Vines thrived under the southern sun, rooted in pale limestone soils, shaped by wind and altitude. Grapes were abundant, ripe, powerful, and yet anonymous. In fact, for much of the twentieth century, grapes left the region in bulk, travelling north or abroad to strengthen other wines with colour and alcohol. Essential, but unnamed.

This was typical for many other regions in Italy and, like them, Apulia did not lack quality; it lacked structure and leverage.

Wine here was first and foremost a component of everyday agriculture: one crop among olives and wheat, tended by families working small plots on difficult land. Strength existed, but recognition did not, and this imbalance is what gave way to the story of Crifo.

Legend Meets Limestone

Crifo is inseparable from Alta Murgia, a rugged limestone plateau sloping gently toward the Adriatic Sea. To be clear, this is not postcard Apulia with sandy beaches and white trullos, but rather a wind-swept, stony land where vines are forced to struggle. Roots dig deep, yields stay naturally in check, and freshness survives despite the heat (something we’ve touched on before).

When you look at the landscape, the different training systems used with the vines tell their own story. Ancient alberello vines sit low to the ground, while a few hundred meters away you see long corridors of cordone speronato alternate with wide, almost romantic canopies of pergola pugliese. These are not stylistic choices, but practical answers refined over centuries to sun, wind, and water scarcity.

At the heart of this territory rises Castel del Monte, an architectural wonder and symbol of balance and order, not to mention a fitting backdrop for a style of wine built on structure rather than excess. This landmark is so important that it gives its name to several of the Crifo wines!

All in all, this combination of limestone soils, altitude, temperature swings, and constant ventilation explains much of what defines Crifo’s wines: firm but refined tannins in reds, preserved acidity in whites, and an unexpected suitability for sparkling wines.

From Reform to Recognition

Like other cooperatives, Crifo’s story unfolds gradually, and deliberately.
It begins in the 1960s, when a group of growers in Ruvo di Puglia formed the Cantina della Riforma Fondiaria. The goal was pragmatic: to stabilise the must market after land reform and protect growers from an unequal system. The name Crifo is literally an acronym of the cooperative name: Cantina RIforma FOndiaria. By mere coincidence, there is a beautiful griffin carved on the façade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Ruvo; since the Italian word for it is grifone, the emblem of Crifo became a griffin, a powerful image speaking to vigilance and guardianship of the land.

For years, the cooperative’s role was primarily defensive; wine was still sold largely in bulk, but growers were no longer isolated, which meant more contractual power and fair prices.

The real shift, however, came in the 1990s, when Crifo began looking beyond survival. Participation in national and international trade fairs pushed the wines outside regional borders, and with that came a growing awareness of what this territory could express on its own terms. This was paired with a fundamental change in production methods, and with a stronger attention to quality. Oenologists were hired, production plants were redesigned to be dedicated to specific wine profiles, and a long-term strategy started surfacing.
It was during this period that Augustale was born, a Nero di Troia conceived as a Cru, intended to capture the essence of Alta Murgia rather than serve as raw material for others.

The following decade brought outstanding precision; a new production facility in Contrada Colajanni modernised vinification, while international certifications (BRC, IFS) formalised a commitment to process, consistency, and quality. As the Castel del Monte appellation gained recognition, Augustale evolved with it, becoming Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva DOCG, a wine anchored fully in place and pedigree.

During the last few years, Crifo’s focus has widened even further, with sustainability moving from principle to practice and innovation entering the cellar with the introduction of reduction winemaking techniques (the Kryos system, I might talk about it in the future).

You can see how meaningful this arc is: from protection, to ambition, to responsibility.

Bottling Apulia

One of Crifo’s most telling choices has been consistency in what it believes belongs here.
Nero di Troia, Bombino Nero, Bombino Bianco, Moscatello Selvatico, Pampanuto (Verdeca): these are not marketing tools, but rather agricultural answers, grapes shaped by limestone soils, wind, and wide day-night temperature swings. Berries that retain acidity, build structure, and age with composure when handled carefully.

As I mentioned earlier, Crifo works across multiple products and production lines, and that breadth is intentional. Not every grape becomes a flagship wine. Everyday wines coexist with more ambitious bottlings, allowing the cooperative to remain selective at the top while sustaining the people who farm the land.

Here are a few examples of wines we feel are excellent and that perfectly express Crifo’s focus on tradition and quality.

Cryfus Sixty Edition Sparkling (Bianco & Rosé) Sparkling wine is not the first thing one associates with Apulia, which is precisely why Cryfus works. Altitude, ventilation, and calcareous soils preserve acidity even under the southern sun, making the region surprisingly well suited to fresh, vibrant sparkling wines. Made primarily from Bombino Bianco/Nero and produced in both Charmat and Metodo Classico styles, Cryfus is Mediterranean in spirit. Perfect for your chill aperitivos, bringing to Singapore our culture of shared tables.
Bellagriffi Based on yet another native varietal, Moscatello Selvatico, this wine is straightforward, balanced, and honest. Bellagriffi wines show how local varieties can be approachable without losing identity. Fresh and aromatic with notes of peach, citrus, and herbs, it goes really well with Hainanese chicken rice, cereal prawns, and pad krapow or Thai-style lemongrass fish.
Jazzo del Demonio Jazzo is based on Nero Di Troia in a more serious expression than normal, shaped by structure rather than weight. Dark fruit, firm tannins, and restraint define a wine that trusts its origins. This goes well with heaps of food available in Singapore, such as beef rendang (careful with the spice levels), Teochew braised duck, perhaps even some Thai massaman curry since the gravy is milder and a little richer than others.
Squarcione Appassimento This is an Appassimento, meaning the grapes were dried before pressing; here, selection and patience take centre stage. Partial oak ageing and extended maturation result in a wine that unfolds slowly, it’s bold and velvety, high in alcohol, and explodes with jammy fruit. Naturally, you need to balance it with something rich; char siew comes to mind, but you can go further and pair it with claypot rice, moo ping, or Thai red curry with roast duck. 
Augustale Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva DOCG Crifo’s reference point: savoury, architectural, and age-worthy, Augustale captures what Alta Murgia does best… power guided by balance. Compared to the other reds we mentioned, if Jazzo is the Soldier, then Augustale is the General. You can take a more western route and pair it with grilled juicy steaks and lamb chops (I’m drooling), or you can go wild and drink it while having some lor bak or mutton soup. Maybe even Penang beef curry would do!
Moscatello Selvatico Vendemmia Tardiva I thought of closing this list with a dessert wine coming from the same grape varietal of the Bellagriffi. A reminder that sweetness, when measured, can be precise. This is an aromatic dessert wine, lifted by light acidity, it closes the meal with clarity rather than excess. Here I would absolutely go with Kueh Lapis Legit, it would be a killer. Cheese also works well, and if you feel more “western”, pick almond or fruit tarts.

Why Crifo Matters

Crifo is not interesting because it is a cooperative (though this is a very important reality in the Italian wine industry). It is more because it shows what a cooperative can become when it stops whispering and starts speaking clearly and confidently.

From land reform to DOCG recognition, from bulk anonymity to bottled identity, Crifo reflects a broader shift in southern Italian wine, one where tradition is not abandoned, but refined, where unity becomes leverage, and where place is no longer diluted.