Oh Brave New World. . .

Puglia, which spans Italy’s long stiletto “heel” from northwest to southeast, rivals Sicily for being the largest producer of Italian wine. In fact, this 360 kilometer region produces almost twice as much wine as all of Australia.

When one considers this region’s vast amount of vines and varietals, along with its plethora of classified wine regions, or DOCs (25 to be exact, as well as 6 IGT zones), one might be tempted to rearticulate Miranda’s exclamation in Shakespeare’s The Tempest when she catches her first glimpse of society: “Oh brave new world that hath such vineyards in it.”

But many wine snobs and some critics would, like Prospero, the innocent’s father, quickly rejoin, with a degree of cynicism: “’Tis new to thee.”  Indeed, many wine aficionados still regard Puglia only as a bulk-wine producer or, at best, as a source for a few good values.

Over the last few years, however, I have been finding more and more high quality, intriguing wines, with a rustic elegance, emerging from this region.

Viticulturally, Puglia can be divided into three sections, each with its own personality. The northern region borders Abruzzo on the north and Campagna on the West. Many consider this to be Puglia’s least impressive area. It comprises three DOCs with San Severo and Cacc’e mmitte di Lacera being the most significant. White wines here are based on the varietals Bombino Bianco, Trebbiano, and Verdeca. Reds, as well as some rosés, are made from Montepulciano, Sangiovese, and Uva di Troia.

Map source: INEA - Istituto Nazionale di Economia Agraria

The central region lies in the province of Bari, Puglia’s major metropolitan area. Chief among the DOCs here are Castel del Monte and Gravina, followed by Rosso Barletta, Rosso Canosa, and the sweet Moscato di Trani. In these zones, red wines are made mostly from Montepulciano and Sangiovese; while dry whites are derived mainly from Bombino Bianco, Verdeca, Trebbiano Toscano, and Greco di Tufo. Sweet whites are based on Moscato. It’s the wines from Caste del Monte, however, that seem to be attracting the most attention these days from consumers and critics alike. Here, Aglianico joins Uva di Troia and Montepulciano to make an excellent Rosso (Rivera’s Il Falcone). Moreover, whites made from the international varietals, Chardonnay and Sauvignon, are also gaining notice.

Another DOC to the south of this central region is Gioia del Cole. This is where we first find what might be considered Puglia’s hottest, in several senses of the word, varietal: Primitivo. It’s both high in alcohol and fashionable in the marketplace. In fact, it’s become so popular that, over the last few years, its price has risen almost three-fold.

Moving southward, we find two DOCs providing interesting whites: Locorotondo and Martina Franca. Here, the wines are made with Verdeca, Bianco d’Alessano, along with Fiano and Bombino Bianco.

Puglia’s southern-most region, known as the Salento peninsula, is where we discover most of the noteworthy Pugliese wines. This region benefits from ideal soil and climactic conditions for wine production.

Most of the reds, as well as the rosés, here are made from Negroamaro blended with Malvasia Nera, Montepulciano, Sangiovese, and a host of other grapes. Lately, the southern DOCs gaining the most notice are Salice Salentino, Copertino, Leverano, and Alezio. In addition, Primitivo is also flourishing here—especially in the towns of Sava and Manduria.

White wines in the south of Puglia cover a wide range of varietals including Malvasia, Trebbiano, Verdeca, Bombino, as well as Chardonnay, Sauvignon, and Pinot Bianco.

For years, Puglia produced wines, as well as must and concentrate, that were used to strengthen wines in the north of Italy and also in France. Whites were produced for a large part to be used as blending wines for Vermouth. But like many regions in Europe, there has been a sea change, both in the vineyards and in the wineries, from quantity to quality, that’s been bolstered by a large influx of cash from foreign and domestic investors. For example, the Tuscan-based house of Antinori has two estates as well as  a large winery in Puglia. And recently, California-based Kendall-Jackson has also staked a claim in Puglia.

One can only hope that the renewed effort to produce high quality wines continues and—even more important—that, along with all the experimentation with international grape varieties, new production methods, and flying wine consultants, the traditional wines will not be trampled on and lost. If this proves to be the case, perhaps our more conservative and reactionary critics might shed some of their cynicism and exclaim “Oh brave new Puglia. It’s new to me.”

Summary of Grape Varieties

White

Red