Italy Puglia cooking vacations and wine tours

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.

If you come to Puglia you should definetely try the many different wines produced from the distinctive local varities, which are impossible to find in any other part of Italy.
Puglia is a region with one of the most ancient enological traditions of Italy. The region counts 25 DOC wines and many local grapes, including the now famous Primitivo. A few years ago Primitivo variety was cultivated with the only purpose of making bulk wines destined to other Italian and European regions, where wines were less robust and with less alcohol content.
Nowadays, thanks to the hard work of many oenologists and wine producers this grape has been revaluated and is now fully appreciated around the world.
Primitivo became famous when it was found out that Primitivo and Zinfandel have the same DNA.
Some researchers say that both Primitivo and Zinfandel have Balkan origins, from the Zagarese grape. They say that Primitivo grape was introduced in Puglia in the 17th century.
Other people say that the primitivo grape was introduced in Puglia much earlier by the Greeks.

The name primitivo comes from the fact that this grape ripens earlier than other varieties.
The current success is due to the innovation introduced in the vineyards, such as the early harvest and the very low yield per hectare so that the resulting wines are softer, more fruity and less aggressive in terms of alcohol.
Lots of wine makers still practise the manual harvest which results in higher quality of the grapes and so of the wines!

Primitivo is produced everywhere in Puglia, but the DOC areas for Primitivo are Gioia del Colle (where the different temperature between night and day lets the fruit ripen slowly and perfectly) and Manduria (where the wind coming from the sea contributes to keeping the fruit in good health and to its flavors). The wine obtained from primitivo is well structured, with flavors of ripen red fruit and minimum alcohol degree of 14%.

This grape has a strong and very distinctive character and Pugliese wine makers wisely prefer a short time aging in French barrels (instead of complying with the international wines with a stronger wood taste). This is a wine to be aged.
Today wines made of Primitivo show undeniable class in a style that stands comparison with its American counterparts.
Every last Sunday of May is a special day for those who love wines from Puglia. All wineries are open to visitors for free visits and tastings, while usually, it is not possible to visit wineries without an appointment.