The region of Apulia (Italian: Puglia) with its capital Bari lies deep in the south of Italy on the Adriatic coast. The elongated region consists of the spur (Gargano Mountains) and the heel (Salento Peninsula) of the boot. The name goes back to the Apulian tribe. The landscape is characterised by wide plains and gentle, fertile hills.

History

The region is one of the oldest wine-growing areas in the world, as the Phoenicians and Greeks were already planting vines here 3,000 years ago. The Romans particularly appreciated the wine from Tarentum (harbour town of Taranto) and the poet Horace (65-8 BC) described the region as a place of "eternal spring". The Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II (1194-1250) was King of Sicily from 1198 and spent 28 years in Italy. Near Bari, he had the Castel del Monte built with an octagonal main building, around which eight octagonal towers are grouped.

Climate & soil

In contrast to the other southern regions of Italy, there are hardly any mountains and the landscape consists of plateaus and lowlands. The climate is hot and dry with little rainfall, which means that artificial irrigation is sometimes necessary. The soils consist mainly of limestone, clay and sandstone. In Salento in particular, the soil is often red in colour due to its high iron oxide content. The intense sunlight and poor soils favour concentrated, ripe grapes with a high sugar content. The intense sunlight and poor soils favour concentrated, ripe grapes with a high sugar content.

Grape varieties

The vineyards cover 88,000 hectares of vines. There are many indigenous grape varieties. Red wine varieties cover around 75% of the area, the most important being Aglianico, Aleatico, Barbera, Bonifacienco (also Carenisca or Caricagiola = Parraleta), Bombino Nero, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Lambrusco Maestri, Malbech (Cot), Malvasia Nera di Lecce od. Malvasia Nera di Brindisi, Merlot, Montepulciano, Notardomenico, Ottavianello (Cinsaut), Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), Primitivo (Tribidrag), Sangiovese, Susumaniello and Uva di Troia (Nero di Troia).

The most important white wine varieties are Bianco d'Alessano, Bombino Bianco, Chardonnay, Falanghina Beneventana/Flegrea (Falanghina), Fiano, Francavidda, Greco di Tufo (Greco), Impigno, Malvasia Bianca di Candia, Malvasia Bianca od. Malvasia Toscana or Malvasia Bianca Lunga, Minutolo, Moscato or Moscato Bianco or Moscato di Trani (Muscat Blanc), Pampanuto, Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc), Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris), Sauvignon (Sauvignon Blanc) and Verdeca.

DOCG, DOC and IGT areas

Most of Italy's wine is produced in Puglia. This is why the region is also known as the "wine cellar of Italy and Europe". Together with Sicily, it is at the top of Italy's wine production volume. The best quality wines grow on the Salento peninsula, favoured by the proximity of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. However, quality wines only account for less than 10% of the total. A large proportion of the wines are used for the distillation of industrial alcohol and for the production of simple mass-produced wines. The IGT (regional wines), DOC and DOCG (quality wines) areas in Puglia are:

• Aleatico di Puglia (DOC)
• Alezio (DOC)
• Barletta (DOC)
• Brindisi (DOC)
• Cacc'e Mmitte di Lucera (DOC)
• Castel del Monte (DOC)
• Castel del Monte Bombino Nero (DOCG)
• Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva (DOCG)
• Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva (DOCG)
• Colline Joniche Tarantine (DOC)
• Copertino (DOC)
• Daunia (IGT)
• Galatina (DOC)
• Gioia del Colle (DOC)
• Gravina (DOC)
• Leverano (DOC)
• Lizzano (DOC)
• Locorotondo (DOC)
• Martina Franca or Martina (DOC)
• Matino (DOC)
• Moscato di Trani (DOC)
• Murgia (IGT)
• Nardò (DOC)
• Negroamaro di Terra d'Otranto (DOC)
• Orta Nova (DOC)
• Ostuni (DOC)
• Primitivo di Manduria (DOC)
• Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale (DOCG)
• Puglia (IGT)
• Rosso di Cerignola (DOC)
• Salice Salentino (DOC)
• Salento (IGT)
• San Severo (DOC)
• Squinzano (DOC)
• Tarantino (IGT)
• Tavoliere delle Puglie or Tavoliere (DOC)
• Terra d'Otranto (DOC)
• Valle d'Itria (IGT)