The wines

In 2017, Harry & Simona opened Bottega Caruso in Margate – a small southern Italian restaurant and deli rooted in the food of Simona’s village Foglianise and the couple’s belief in personal, regional, seasonal cooking. Their attention to provenance and integrity has since grown to include wine, with the launch of Cantina Caruso – an import business dedicated to soulful, characterful natural wines from Campania.

For the first time in the UK, we are proud to present wines that capture the essence of Southern Italy – its ancient vines, volcanic soils, knowledgeable growers, and centuries old traditions. These are not just bottles, but stories: of the people who tend the land, the grapes that thrive there, and the culture that shapes them both.

Today we are honoured to share these wines with you.

Robb de Matt

In the mountain village of Foglianise, friends Gabriele Calabrese and Gaetano Palumbo are making natural wine with a punk spirit and an open heart. Robb de Matt means “crazy stuff” in dialect – and that spirit lives in every bottle they produce. Breaking with tradition, at Robb de Matt, nothing is rushed and nothing is manipulated. Hand-harvested, mixed-variety grapes ferment spontaneously in open vats with no temperature control, no additives, no filtration, and no sulfur. Their small plots on Monte Taburno are farmed traditionally and each bottle is a defiant celebration of nature’s own rhythms and imperfections. Personal, anarchic, and unrepeatable, these wines represent the people who grew up on this land and continue to cultivate it.

Big Bang
Falanghina, Trebbiano, Moscato 2023 (sp/o)
Zesty and energetic sparkling wine, skin fermented for 11 days and bottled unfiltered

Ossigeno
Grape: Falanghina and Trebbiano 2023 (o)
Skin fermented, lees-aged, this textured orange is layered with citrus peel and herbs

Tino 5          
Grape: Coda di Pecora, Trebbiano 2023 (o)
A seven day maceration in open vats, easy drinking and nutty, almost fino-like

Mu
Grape: Aglianico 2023 (p)
A direct press rose, bright and stony with red fruits

R&B
Grapes: Field blend (2023) (p)
A mixture of all of their grapes, creating this magical rosato

Big Sur
Grape: Merlot 2023 (r)
One doesn’t think of Merlot when here in the south of Italy, but little parcels of it, a few rows of vines here and there pop us, a leftover from Napoleonic times when the French ruled Naples and Kingdom of Sicily.

Hitchcock
Grapes: Merlot, Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Vinciguerra, Barbera 2023 (r)
13 days maceration, 9 months in steel.

Co-op Lentamente

In the hills of Sannio, near Benevento, Donato De Marco and his cooperativa Lentamente are redefining what agriculture can mean – not just a source of food, but a tool for justice, dignity, and social change. After years in social agriculture, Donato returned home to found Lentamente, a deeply rooted project that cultivates organic grains, wine, honey, and olives while offering real opportunities to people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Their vineyards and fields are tended not just with care, but with purpose: to transform lives, restore abandoned land, and build a resilient, inclusive rural community. Made with minimal intervention, every bottle from Lentamente tells a story of regeneration - of people, land and hope.

Bianco
Grape: Falanghina, 2022 (w)
Textured and straw coloured with notes of olive and almond

Rosato
Grape: Aglianico 2022 (p)
A juicy dep pink rosato with all the texture and flavour of aglianico

Rosso
Grape: Aglianico 2022 (r)
A full-bodied, rich and structured red.

Podere Veneri Vecchio

One of the original natural winemakers in Campania, Raffaello Annichiarico tends his 4-hectare vineyard like a living ecosystem. A microbiologist by training, he fell in love with this land in 1999 and has since become a quiet pioneer of truly natural winemaking in the region.Tucked into the clay and tuff soils of Castelvenere, he works with ancient, mixed-variety vines and forgotten native grapes, crafting deeply expressive wines with no filtration or chemical interference. His cellar, with its origins dating back over a century, is a tribute to the land, as are his wines: raw, soulful and full of life. Already popular across Europe, this will be his debut to the UK. 

Notturni Passaggi
Grape: Field blend (sp/p)
A pét-nat from eight local varieties of red and white. Lighly sparkling and electric.

Terra Nuda
Grapes: Camaiola & Aglianico (p)
Three days on skins making this rich and deep rose

Il Tempo Ritrovato
Grapes: Grieco, Cerreto 2022 (o)
12 day maceration on skins, aged in traditional chestnut and acacia barels for a year. Dried fruit and tobacco

Bianco Tempo
Grapes: Grapes: Grieco, Cerreto, Falanghina 2022 (o)

Bella Ciao
Grape: Agostinella (o)
An ancient grape revived, long skin contact and aging in cherry and acacia botti

Risvegli
Grieco, Cerreto on Aglianico and Camaiola skins (r)
A white transformed by red skins – savoury and textural

Fuorirotta
Grapes: Grieco & Cerreto
Like a medieval elixir, not a vermouth nor a fortified wine. From white grapes left to infuse with rosemary, thyme, bay, sage, myrtle and spices like cloves cinnamon, ginger. Not for everyone, but perfect for some of us after dinner!

Azienda Agricola Pizzillo

In the heart of Irpinia, Emanuele Pizzillo is building a life rooted in legacy, nature, and community. From his grandfather’s olive trees and a few old vineyard rows, he’s grown a small farm into a vibrant project producing soulful olive oil and natural wines that celebrate the land and bring people together. Every bottle is cultivated with care – no shortcuts, no waste – just deep respect for the earth and a belief that food and wine can nourish more than just the body. Emanuele’s work is a quiet revolution in sustainability and connection, guided by tradition, powered by collaboration, and always looking forward

Ozio
Grape: Fiano, Falanghina, Trebbiano 2022 (w)
Fresh and zesty blend of native varieties – mineral and crisp

Minosse
Grape: Aglianico 2022 (r)
A deep, structured Aglianico aged for 12 months in cement – earthy & wild