PUGLIA
Another great southern Italy region is Puglia, (pronounced Pull-ya) which is the heel of the boot of Italy.
This is a Mediterranean climate of warm days most of the year. Grapes grown here must endure brutal summer heat.
There are numerous grapes grown in Puglia. There are plentiful amounts of olives too. Let’s not forget the importance of the tomato here as well.
Puglia has also become an excellent place to visit and bike. The bike/tourist industry has grown considerably. One of those off the radar places growing in popularity.
Puglia is famous for the Trulli. Trulli are dry stoned buildings with a conical roof. Dry stoned means no cement or mortar in between the stones.
They speculate they were built around the mid 13th century as temporary housing for peasants and workers in the fields.
They are concentrated in some towns and random throughout Puglia.
Some have been fixed up for modern accommodations, but many are not updated due to maintaining the historical integrity.
One thing is certain, they are unique structures.
Puglia has DOC’s & DOCG’s but the bulk of the wines here come from the IGP’s in the region. This is because so much of the wine was sent up north to bolster other wines.
Most of volume was shipped away but now more emphasis is on producing quality wines from Puglia and selling them under the label of Puglia wines.
Puglia produces a lot of wine. In 2022, Puglia produced 120 million cases of wine, which was the 2nd largest in volume in all of Italy.
There are many grapes grown in the region. The main reds comprise of Negromaro, Primitivo, and Sangiovese. The main white grape grown is Trebbiano, which have discussed before in Tuscany.
As you can see, Trebbiano and Sangiovese are widely grown throughout Italy. The international grapes like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are also part of the local wine industry.
The Puglia region is south towards the equator, with a Mediterranean climate conducive to growing many different grapes.
The ripe fruit of the grapes creates high sugar and in fermentation, creates higher alcohol wines.
Farther north the grapes may not get quite as ripe, lower residual sugar and thus lower alcohol. Blending the Puglia juice (wine) into the lighter, milder wines up north, makes a good boost to the wines.
Salice Salentino DOC
Salice Salentino DOC area a large wine region in Puglia that runs along the northern Adriatic coast of Puglia.
The primary grape of Salice Salentino DOC is Negroamaro.
This is dark skinned grape that bursts with ripe plum, black cherry fruit and subtle hints of licorice. Having said that, I personally do not like black licorice flavor. However, it works with this grape, and I love Negroamaro wines.
It isn’t unusual to get some prune-like smells and tastes because growers will dry out some of the grapes to create that essence.
The wines are robust, and full-bodied but I feel the tannins are very soft and the wine not overpowering at all. Like most southern Italian reds, these wines are rich, easy drinking wines.
In my research to jar my memory, many different sites spoke of the power of this wine. They said high tannins and strong.
My experience was not like what some sites described. Maybe I am tempered because I drink a lot of Italian wine. I feel they are not in the same tannic, powerful category as Cabernet at all.
The great thing about wine is that it is an individual experience. We all have different tastes.
Salice Salentino DOC also makes a riserva wine that must be aged two years minimum of which 1 year must be in oak.
If you are looking for something cool and refreshing without sacrificing flavor or body, Salice Salentino Rose is a great wine for satisfying those cravings. It’s a great value rose.
Speaking of value, Salice Salentino is a great value wine. You should be able to get good quality for $15 and up.
A smart restaurant would put this wine on the list and make good mark up and make the casual wine drinker quite happy.
Negroamaro isn’t just a big deal in Salice Salentino only. This grape is the major grape in over 34 DOC’s in Puglia. It’s subdued power provides aging ability for 5 – 10 years.
There are several Riserva DOC’s where the minimum aging is usually 2 years of which at least 6 months of that must be in oak.
I think this isn’t the venue to discuss every DOC (and their individual requirements,) in Puglia.
Negroamaro is an excellent rose’ wine, and there are several Rosato DOC’s in Puglia.
On a hot day, Negroamaro Rose’ is refreshing and delicious. Don’t pass one by. A great BBQ wine with its versatility to different foods.
I concentrated on Salice Salentino DOC as it is large DOC and has good distribution in the USA. The other 30 plus DOC’s I haven’t seen much in my area of Colorado.
Negroamaro does grow in Sicily too.
Food Pairings-
Negroamaro is best with hearty flavored foods, meats, aged cheeses, & tomato based meals.
Great with different toppings on pizza, chicken, and good old fashion summer BBQ things like burgers, ribs and brats.
Quite versatile really.
Primitivo-
Another primary grape of Puglia is Primitivo
Primitivo is identical to Zinfandel grape. In fact, there is an ongoing debate on origination of the grape as the Slovenians claim theirs’ is the mother clone. Italian’s say it’s Primitivo. They are all related; does it matter who came first?
Primitivo is a grape with high residual sugar so consequently after fermentation, it is high in alcohol.
Primitivo is a grape that ripens early and is fruit forward with jammy flavors of berries, spice and mild tannins. There is good body and if aged in oak can be pretty hefty on the palate. The acids blend so nicely with the fruit to create a lovely balanced wine.
Primitivo has mild tannins that allow us to enjoy it now. There is enough body for hearty food flavors and yet doesn’t require lots of aging to mellow out the tannins. Really quite versatile in food pairings.
I think that is what’s so intriguing about Primitivo is it is deceptive. It has the feel of substance and flavor without overpowering things. It is what I enjoy about Zinfandel too!
The differences between Zinfandel and Primitivo is that Zinfandel is more fruit-forward, and Primitivo is a bit more earthy and layered. That is how I see it.
I think Primitivo is better priced and a better value than the California Zinfandel. You can pick up Primitivo starting at $15 a bottle.
If you haven’t noticed yet, wines from Puglia are quite economical. Most of the wines from southern Italy are better values than the wines up north.
FOOD PAIRING:
Primitivo is medium to full bodied which allows a wide range of pairing opportunities.
All meats, chicken, beef, pork, should work. I think more hearty seasonings and preparations would be best.
Spicey, but not too spicey hot, would mingle well (think BBQ ribs).
Pastas, pizzas, red sauces, tomato anything are good with Primitivo.
Two different labeled Primitivo's.
On the left is Salento IGT Primitivo produced by Li Veli. Orion is the name they give this wine. Salento is the place the wine comes from.
The one on the right is produced by Varvaglione. It too is Primitivo but from Manduria region so it is labeled Primitivo di Manduria DOP.*
The IGT is similar to the IGP. DOP* is like a DOC except DOP also encompasses Italian products, not just wine.
Both are assurances to the consumer that the product's origin is from the area on the label.
Appassimento
This is a process of drying out the grapes either by hanging them or laying them on mats.
This concentrates the flavors, the body and color, providing a rich and elegant wine. It usually spends a few months in oak to add to the complexity of the wine.
This process is also done in the Veneto region in the making of Amarone.
Appassimento means passionate in Italian.
Now here is a tremendous value for wine drinkers. Though not identical to Amarone, it is quite similar and for about half the price. (starting at $25-30)
This particular wine is comprised of Negroamaro, Merlot & Primitivo.
Sangiovese-
Sangiovese is more famous from the Tuscany region as it is the grape of all Chianti’s, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Brunello di Montalcino.
It is produced in many regions in Italy. Quite a bit of it comes from Puglia.
You don’t see many bottles of Sangiovese from Puglia because most of it is sent to other places to beef up other wines.
Don’t forget there is an allotment of 10% for other grapes in Italian wines.
Just a quick review of Sangiovese. It’s full of cherry, berry, soft spice and mild tannins. Great fruit & acid balance and can be quite fantastic with aging in oak barrels for a few years.
It’s warmer here in Puglia so the grapes get good an ripe and full of flavor. The grapes are mostly grown for bulk wines and to strengthen other blends.
Trebbiano-
We talked at length about Trebbiano in the Tuscany writing I did early on. It is a grape that is produced in most regions of Italy and in many places in France.
Pale color, lighter bodied, lots of acidity generally, but can be quite complex with special care and oak aging.
It grows well in Puglia and is the main white grape of the region.
As with most Italian grapes, the acidity is the draw of Trebbiano. That zest brings more character to any wine blend and makes it more food friendly too.
Pricing on Trebbiano is random. It depends on where it’s from, is there oak aging, what kind of extra things are done in the wine making process? Down in Puglia, you should be able to buy Trebbiano for $15 and up.
More and more plantings of Chardonnay are happening in Puglia as that is what the masses want.
The region is very good for growing most grapes. The European influence on Chardonnay makes a different wine that what we get from California.
It’s not good or bad, just different.
Olives-
One more thing about Puglia to talk about quickly is olive production. Estimates are Puglia provides 40% of the olive oil of Italy. That is significant.
Again, the warm sun, and ocean breezes make Puglia a great place to grow things, including olive trees.
Good Italian olives and good wine are a great way to start the dining experience.
Since we are not an olive site, we will not go into details on the various olive varietals. Just know, if you like olives, you will love the olives from Puglia (if they mention the source of the olives on the container’s label.)
*DOP, or Denominazione di Origine Protetta, is the Italian acronym for “Protected Designation of Origin”. The strictest of Italy’s geographical indication certifications, it is a legal guarantee that a product is produced, processed, and packaged entirely in a fixed geographic area and follows that region’s traditional methods for optimal quality and authenticity.
