Puglia

The vineyard area of Puglia is about 89,000 hectares, of which the vast majority are located in the plains. The wine production of Puglia is also favored by the climate and the amount of sun that the earth receives during the year.

The most common red berried grapes in Puglia are: Negroamaro, Primitivo, Uva di Troia, Malvasia Nera, Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Aglianico, Aleatico, Bombino Nero, Susumaniello and Ottavianello, the name with which the region is called Cinsaut. There is no shortage of international grapes, above all Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Despite this ampelographic richness, Puglia is mainly famous for Negroamaro, Primitivo and Uva di Troia, each in their own chosen areas.

The Negroamaro in the south of the region, in Salento, where the oenological production mainly concerns red and rosé wines. Salento is, in fact, one of the most important Italian wine areas for the production of rosé wines; it was in this area that the first rosé wine in Italy was bottled in 1943, the famous FiveRoses by Leone de Castris.

The Primitive it is the most widespread red grape in the central part of Puglia and with it Primitivo di Manduria is produced, one of the most important DOC of the region. Primitivo probably owes its name to the fact that it tends to ripen earlier than other varieties. It is produced with 100% Primitivo grapes aged in cask or barrique, but also in the natural sweet and fortified versions, the latter in the sweet and dry styles.

In the northern part of the region the grape variety Uva di Troia is found mainly, used in purity for the production of red wines.

In Puglia not only red and rosé wines are produced, but also interesting white wines, especially from native grapes, such as Bombino Bianco, Malvasia Bianca, Fiano, Bianco d'Alessano, Moscato Bianco and Pampanuto. Chardonnay, despite being a grape that has no "historical" ties with Puglia, is, in fact, the most cultivated and widespread white grape in the region.