MARTINA FRANCA (TARANTO) ITALY

«The future of wine is in peril. Wine consumption is dropping off a cliff. Brand loyalty is dead.»

While industry pundits blare the sirens, wine, by design, continues to evolve around the people who drink it—just as it has throughout the ages. The chemistry of enology, the dynamic logistical and commercial channels created for the movement of wine, not to mention the many and various reasons for drinking it, are some of the factors that continue to assert the relevance of this timeless drink today.

Armed with this alternative thesis in mind, wineries around the globe are incorporating more diverse solutions than ever into the business of packaged wine. Such momentum inspired artisan brand Lasorte Cuadra of the Valle d’Itria in Puglia to “join the party”, in their words, with the upcoming release of Lì Quì Dò Apulian wine cartons.

This new segment for Lasorte Cuadra, on the heels of their recently minted small-batch vermouth project, aims to familiarize a new generation of wine drinkers with traditionally grown varietals of Puglia in a portable, attractive and eco-friendly format. Playful use of the word «liquido»—broken down into «lì» and «qui» or ‘there’ and ‘here’ in Italian, followed by «dò», also meaning ‘here’ in the local dialect of the Valle d’Itria—give Lì Quì Dò both a sense of place and a mission statement, which can be summed up in a simple tagline: Free Flowing Wine—Here, There and Everywhere.

Lì Quì Dò enters the premium wine space with a white and a red: Lì Quì Dò Bianco, a blend of Minutolo and Verdeca, and Lì Quì Dò Rosso, made with Montepulciano, Susumaniello and Ottavianello grapes—each labeled under protected IGT Puglia appellation status in a deliberate push to promote regional awareness in a new light.

“Too many wines exported from Puglia are, in my opinion, lacking in typicity—perhaps as a result of invasive winemaking or over-zealous blending of indiscernible grapes,” suggests Lasorte Cuadra co-founder Stephanie Cuadra. “Meanwhile, the wines left behind for local consumption, which tend to be straightforward, fresher on the palate and typically at under 12.5% ABV, are what most of us would prefer to drink.”

With Lì Quì Dò, Lasorte Cuadra is determined to extend the reach of Puglia’s most genuine everyday drinking wines, while persuading enophiles to rethink any lingering biases about the boxed wine category. As the producers of Silos—a Valle d’Itria field blend with gastronomic qualities that has steadily won the favor of on-premise buyers since its 2020 vintage debut—Lasorte Cuadra are confident that many of Puglia’s lesser-known grapes lend themselves just as naturally to the casual enjoyment of chillable wines that come in paper-based packaging.

Lì Quì Dò Apulian wine cartons are exported stateside and slated for release this September through brokers in California and Utah.