About the wines of Puglia 0
One of the best things to do when traveling on holiday to Italy is attending a wine tasting tour in Puglia and visiting the many excellent wineries the region is famous for.
For thousands of years Puglia has been a very famous region for its wines and viticulture. 2000 years B.C. the Phoenicians started producing wines in Puglia. Then the Greeks, more than 2000 years ago, brought the Negroamaro and the Aglianico. Also, the Romans really liked the wines produced in the fertile region of Puglia. In the 19th century Puglia was known as the “cellar of Italy”, providing big quantities of wines to Northern Italy and to other European regions.
When visiting Puglia wineries, you will be really impressed with the variety of indigenous and very ancient grapes.
Starting from the North of Puglia, you will find very interesting grape varieties such as: Nero di Troia, Aglianico, Fiano, Moscato di Trani, Bombino Nero and Bombino Bianco.
Going South, Salento is one of the most interesting wine areas for its grape varities and excellent wineries. Salento is the wine area around Lecce, including little towns such as: Cellino, San Pietro Vernotico, Squinzano, Guagnano, San Donaci, Salice Salentino, Alezio, Galatina, Leverano, Copertino, Nardò.
Negroamaro grape is among the most important varieties produced in the Salento area. Negroamaro was brought by the Greeks and is recognizable for its flavous and elegance.
Primitivo from Salento (so called for its early harvest) is another important variety produced for thousands of years in the Salento area. Primitivo has the same DNA of the Californian Zinfandel. In Puglia there are three different primitivo: Primitivo di Manduria, Primitivo di Gioia del Colle and Primitivo del Salento.
Three features make Puglia wines really unique and distinctive.
First, some of the best wines are produced using the “alberello” (literally “little tree”), which is a very old vine, which can date up to 100 years. This alberello vine produces very little quantity but excellent quality. Wines produced with the alberello vine are naturally smooth and elegant.
Moreover, Pugliese wines are refined for very few months in barrels, which most of the times are made of French oak. This is because Pugliese wines have such excellent flavours that barrels are only used to enhance the natural elegance.
Finally, in addition to the ideal Mediterranean climate, most vineyards are planted along the coast taking advantage of the sea breeze.
