Puglia: Italy's agricultural breadbasket
With its vast plains and mild climate, Puglia cultivates grapes, olives, grains, vegetables, and fruits, yielding abundant harvests. It consistently ranks among Italy's top wine producers, vying with Veneto and Sicily.
Puglia flourished under Greek rule as part of Magna Graecia. During the Roman Empire, the famous Appian Way connected Rome to Brindisi, making Puglia an important gateway to the East. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was successively ruled by various peoples, including the Eastern Roman Empire and the Normans, before becoming part of the Kingdom of Naples, during which time large-scale land ownership developed.
The people who live here are typically relaxed, like most southerners, and are very dedicated to preserving their traditions.
A region rapidly transitioning from quantity to quality
Puglia has the fewest mountains in Italy, and the Tavoliere plain in the north is the largest plain after the Po Valley. The climate is typically Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and mild winters.
The DOC Castel del Monte, produced in the Murge, a limestone plateau located in the central inland part of the region, is known as Puglia's most elegant wine. The white is made from Pampanuto, while the red and rosé are primarily from Nero di Troia. These wines, produced at elevations of 300-600m, have a refreshing tone, unusual for southern wines, and are friendly and easy to drink.
In 2011, the simultaneous promotion of Castel del Monte Bombino Nero, Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva, and Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva to DOCG status became a significant talking point.
The DOC Moscato di Trani, produced by the sea, is a fine red wine.
The wines of the Salento Peninsula are in stark contrast to Castel del Monte. Red wines born from the reddish-brown, clay-rich limestone soil have high alcohol content, are very powerful, and have long aging potential. DOC Salice Salentino, DOC Squinzano, and DOC Copertino are all red and rosé wines based on Negroamaro.
DOC Primitivo di Manduria is a red wine made from the Primitivo grape, characterized by intense fruitiness and high alcohol content.
The sweet wine Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale was promoted to DOCG in 2011.
Salento Peninsula's rosé wines, with their distinct cherry and other fruit flavors, are globally popular. DOC Gioia del Colle, compared to Manduria's, has a slightly lower alcohol content and is easier to drink.
Farm-to-table cuisine
Puglian cuisine often utilizes local ingredients such as durum wheat, vegetables, and legumes. Macco di fave e cicoria is a characteristic Puglian dish. It consists of cooked dried broad beans, pureed and served with chicory, a vegetable similar to garland chrysanthemum, generously drizzled with olive oil.
Lamb and goat are also commonly eaten. Seafood is abundant, and the custom of eating raw fish has long been prevalent, making it a rare region in Italy. Among cheeses, Burrata, well-known in Japan, is famous.
Source, citations, and references /
"Italian Wine Manual for Professionals: Italian Wine 2018-2021 Edition" Published by: Wine Kingdom Co., Ltd. Supervisor: Isao Miyajima Cooperation: Nichio Shoji Co., Ltd.
