Italian Wines: Learn About the Puglia Wine Region in Italy

Puglia, also known as Apulia, is a long, narrow region comprising the heel of southern Italy's boot. Puglia is a major producer of both wine grapes and table grapes. Its name comes from a-pulvia, or “lack of rain” in Roman. The terroir is influenced by a sunny, warm Mediterranean climate with breezes from the Adriatic sea and fertile soil rich in limestone. The Puglian wine region is divided into three subregions: Foggia in the north, Bari and Taranto in the center, and Brindisi and Lecce in the south.

After Veneto, Puglia is tied with Sicily as the second biggest wine region in Italy. The Puglia area is mostly home to grape growers, rather than wine producers. However, there are winemakers producing quality wines in Puglia in smaller quantities. In addition to grapes, Puglia produces 40 percent of Italy's olive oil.

Red grapes grown in Puglia include:

1. 1. Sangiovese is Puglia's most prevalent grape variety is often sold in bulk for blended wines.
2. 2. Primitivo grapes are a red wine variety that is also known as zinfandel. It is the third-most planted grape in Puglia. Primitivo grapes make wines that are big, jammy, and rustic, with high alcohol, chewy tannins, and a sweet finish. This variety is used in the Primitivo di Manduria and Gioia del Colle DOCs.
3. 3. Negroamaro grapes are a dark-skinned, tannic variety grown on the Salento peninsula and used in DOCs Salice Salentino (where they’re often blended with Malvasia Nera) and Brindisi. Winemakers also use this red grape for rosés, known as rosatos in Italy.
4. 4. Nero di Troia, also known as Uva di Troia, is used to make savory wines, such as Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva DOCG.
5. 5. Bombino Nero is a red grape used to produce both red wines and rosés, such as Castel del Monte Bombino Nero Rosato DOCG.
6. 6. Montepulciano is a purple-skinned variety used to make the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOCG, a dry red wine that may be up to 15 percent Sangiovese.

Puglian white wine grapes include:

1. 1. Trebbiano Toscano, a high-yield, acidic white grape often sold in bulk to produce blended wine such as generic vino bianco.
2. 2. Chardonnay is not an indigenous Italian grape, but it is grown in Puglia for bulk distribution due to international demand.
3. 3. Bombino Bianco is a high-yield white grape varietal with a neutral flavor well suited to blends.
4. 4. Verdeca is a white grape variety believed to have originated in southern Italy. It is found in the San Severo DOC, typically blended with Bombino Bianco and Trebbiano Toscano.

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