Puglia wine region

Puglia wine region has a wide variety of terroir that is expressed in wines giving rich aromas and flavours. Vines here favour natural gifts, the sun, and the soil. because of this, wines of Puglia have a strong character and distinctive identity. Besides, Puglia is one of the top olive oil producer regions in Italy with the quality and quantity of extra virgin olive oil. Yes, it is a dream place, territory covered with vineyards and olive grooves creating spectacular landscapes.

Puglia wine region covers 83 000 hectares, about 80% of which is planted with red wine varieties. It has four distinct DOCG and 28 DOC zones, some of which are well known far beyond Italy's borders. Salice Salentino and Primitivo di Manduria are two most popular DOC wines produced in the Puglia wine region.

The climate is characterized by dry heat and soils that are bursting with fertility. This creates wines of Puglia that impress with their fruity maturity. However, they have a good freshness, which is maintained by the particular geographical situation: Puglia is surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea so that a constant breeze cools the vineyards - especially in summer.

Puglia Wine Region Map

Grape Varieties found in Puglia Wine Region

The majority of the vines from Puglia wine region are red. And like no other wine region, Puglia is famous for the grape variety Primitivo. The wines produced out of this variety - as the name might suggest - is by far not primitive. So the name derives from the Latin word "primativus": the variety that ripens the earliest. It is the first one that drifts in the spring, blooms the earliest and is already harvested in August. Together with Primitivo, Negroamaro is also one of the most widespread grape varieties. These two grape varieties are unique to the region and are mainly cultivated in the southern part. While in the north, more widespread varieties such as Sangiovese and Montepulciano.

Something more than Primitivo

Red wines of Puglia from the autochthonous, so only there occurring grape variety, Negroamaro - often in combination with Primitivo - deserve special attention in particular in Salentino. Here, the red wines must consist of 90 % Negroamaro grapes, The name of the grape variety literally means "black bittersweet", but it presents itself by no means bitter in the glass, but rather reminds of ripe plums with a hint of oriental spice notes. A property that makes wines of this grape variety the perfect companion to a pizza.

Another exciting, red grape variety is Bombino Nero, which also provides plenty of fruit, but also brings an animating acidity, so that it also produces rosé wines of Puglia. When it comes to white wines of Puglia wine region, the international grape varieties dominate the region. A real tip from Puglia is, therefore, the Verdeca, which is only cultivated in a small area. A white representative of the region with its own unique flavor.

Diversity of Apulian nature

Although the often Caribbean-looking sea is Apulia's main attraction, the landscape is much more diverse. So, the mysterious dark beech forest "Forestra Umbra" is located on the Italian boot spur. The hilly Itria Valley is not only famous for its trulli-style cottages, but also for its cultivated landscape of orchards, cornfields and olive groves with centuries-old trees. Both at sea and inland, numerous cave systems have been formed over the past few million years that have found unique fossils or rare stalactite formations around the world.

Foresta Umbra - An enchanted fairytale forest in Puglia

The unique combination of dense forest, coast, as well as freshwater and saltwater lakes with a species-rich flora and fauna, characterizes the Gargano National Park in the north of Puglia. Its green lung forms the "Foresta Umbra", a forest of beech, maple and oak trees up to 800 m above sea level and therefore shady and cool. The 400 hectares of the Foresta Umbra is divided into 4 zones, of which only one is reserved for animals and plants. The other zones can be actively explored on hiking and cycling trails.

Visitor centre of the park has maps in stock and acts as bicycle rental. Around the visitor centre, there is a small play park for the youngest visitors. Here you can also admire and even feed wild animals up close.

Grotte di Castellana - a trip to a fantastic world

Due to its karstic, highly permeable stone floor, numerous subterranean cave systems have formed in Apulia. Among them are the caves of Castellana. Soon after their discovery, the caves were made accessible to tourists.

There are numerous multilingual guides and two very well walkable trails, of which the longer leads up to the "White Grotto". Here, the stalactites have been given a white colour due to the lack of light and the flawless air of the last 90 million years. In the impressive ambience of the 60-meter-high cave, the spectacle "Hell in the Cave" has been performed for a few years in summer - let yourself be lyrical, dance-like and acrobatically surprised.

Isole Tremiti - beautiful beaches and tranquility

In front of the Gargano is an archipelago of five islands, which administratively belong to the Gargano, but form their own maritime nature reserve. People have been settling there for ages, as evidenced by finds from the Neolithic and Iron Age.

Although San Nicola is the smallest of the islands, it is the most important with its 11th-century Benedictine abbey. San Domino is the largest of the islands and has a sandy beach. Its coast is, as that of the island of Capraia, rugged and interspersed with picturesque caves. Definitely worth a boat trip or even a diving holiday, because the many sea caves are only accessible from the water.