Grapes

There are five Apulian wine-growing areas: Daunia, Murge, Messapia, Valle d'Itria and Salento. On each of these areas native and international white and black grape varieties are cultivated.

White Berry
Black Berry

Bianco d’Alessano


The origin of this autochthonous vine is unknown but its presence in the Murge Martinesi has been attested since 1870.
In the past, the Bianco d'Alessano, whose straw yellow color was not appreciated, was grown with various local varieties, including Verdeca. Of great interest, in recent years, some expressions of the grape vinified in purity.
Today, Bianco d'Alessano is present in the DOC Gravina, Martina, Locorotondo, but also Ostuni and Lizzano.

 

Bombino Bianco


The origins of Bombino Bianco are unknown, perhaps it comes from Spain and today it is grown throughout the region.
The vine is the main player in the white versions of some important DOC wines such as Castel del Monte, together with Pampanuto, San Severo, blended with Tuscan Trebbiano, Leverano with Malvasia Bianca.

 

Chardonnay


International grape, originally from Burgundy, it is grown all over the world. Spontaneous cross between Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc, it has found in Puglia a suitable environment for its cultivation.
Castel del Monte, Lizzano, Salice Salentino are the DOCs that see this vine in the foreground.

 

Fiano


The vine originates from nearby Campania and probably owes its name to a variety of apple, Appiano, or to a locality in the Avellino area, Apia.
Fiano has found a privileged habitat in Puglia and in particular in the Itria Valley, so much so that it is included in the Locorotondo and Martina DOCs.

 

Francavidda


Francavidda is originally from the province of Brindisi and specifically, from Francavilla Fontana from which it would have derived the name. This vine is included in the Ostuni DOC, and used in blends with Impigno, Bianco d 'Alessano and Verdeca in a percentage between 15 and 50%.

 

Greco


Very ancient vine, Puglia was introduced probably in the seventh century BC. following the Greek colonization.
Greco is present in the DOC Gravina together with Malvasia Bianca and Bianco d'Alessano; as a further example of a vine capable of expressing the personality of a territory notably suited to the production of white wines.

 

Impigno


This vine was imported into the Ostuni countryside from the Martina Franca area at the beginning of the last century, by a farmer named "Impigno".
A native vine, it is another pearl of the Apulian ampelographic heritage. Its use is foreseen in the DOC Ostuni in a variable percentage between 50 and 85%, blended with Francavidda and possibly with Bianco d'Alessano and Verdeca.

 

Minutolo


It is an ancient native Apulian vine. A careful selection has recently been made for the production of quality wines. It is mainly vinified in purity to give life to dry and aromatic wines or fine sparkling wines.

 

Moscato Reale


The name Moscato derives from "muscum", musk, due to the intense aroma typical of the grape.
The vine, of very ancient origins, is now grown throughout the Mediterranean area. Moscato Bianco or Moscato Reale or Moscato di Trani are the names of the native grape variety among the best known and representative of Puglia. In particular, Moscato di Trani DOC is a natural sweet wine also produced in the liqueur type.

 

Pampanuto


Pampanuto is a vine of uncertain origins, also known as Rizzulo, Pampanuta or La Pampanuta; it has been cultivated for a long time in Puglia and often associated with Bombino Bianco.
The Castel del Monte DOC is the one in which Pampanuto finds the widest use in blends with Chardonnay or Bombino Bianco.

 

Sauvignon


Sauvignon, originally from the Bordeaux area, is now grown all over the world, from Australia to Europe to New Zealand.
This vine is well integrated into the Apulian ampelographic heritage. Together with Chardonnay it is found in particular in the DOC Castel del Monte, Lizzano and Salice Salentino.

 

Verdeca


A native vine widely cultivated in the province of Taranto, Verdeca is at the fore in the vinification of the DOC Locorotondo and Martina, where it is used in a percentage between 50-65%; it is also present in the DOC Gravina, where it is combined with other important white berried grapes such as Bombino Bianco or Trebbiano Toscano.

Aglianico


Aglianico, also called Hellenic or Hellanic, was probably introduced by the Greeks around the 6th-7th century BC. during the colonization of the Tyrrhenian coasts.
It is a vine historically linked to nearby Basilicata but boasts an ancient cultivation also in Puglia, where it represents a cornerstone of the Castel del Monte DOC, in whose specification the Aglianico red and rosé versions are specifically envisaged.

 

Aleatico


Aleatico is a native vine, present throughout the region, from which a characteristic natural sweet wine is obtained.
Some believe it originates from Tuscany, as a mutation of Moscato, others think it was introduced by the Greeks.
Aleatico is also the name of the denomination of controlled origin whose disciplinary also provides for the use, in a smaller percentage, of Negroamaro, Malvasia Nera and Primitivo

 

Bombino Nero


Of unknown origin, it is also known as "Bambino" or as "Buonvino".
Bombino Nero, cultivated for a long time in Puglia, is a vine that stands out for its copious production and high yield in must.
It is grown mainly in the areas of Lizzano and Castel del Monte, resulting in a rather tannic ruby red wine.

 

Malvasia Nera


Unlike the other Malvasias, it does not have the characteristic muscat flavor.
Autochthonous vine widely spread in Salento, starting from the province of Taranto up to the large basin that includes the provinces of Brindisi and Lecce.
It is present in the DOC Lizzano, Brindisi, Squinzano, Salice Salentino, Leverano, Copertino, Nardò, Matino and Alezio DOC.

 

Merlot


French vine originating from Bordeaux, the first traces of it are found in 1700 and in 1880 it was introduced in Italy, where it has spread more or less throughout the territory.
Merlot, like other international grape varieties, has found suitable environmental conditions in Puglia and can be included in minimal quantities in the composition of many Apulian DOCs.
The resulting wine has a ruby red color, fruity and herbaceous to the nose. Quite tannic, full-bodied and balanced

 

Montepulciano


Of uncertain origins, perhaps coming from the Montepulciano area in the province of Siena, this vine has spread widely in the center-south.
Montepulciano is particularly present in Puglia, in the DOC San Severo, Cacc’e Mmitte di Lucera, Ortanova, Rosso di Cerignola and Rosso Canosa, Castel del Monte, Lizzano, Leverano, Copertino and Alezio.
The result is an intense ruby red wine, rightly tannic and suitable for aging.

 

Negroamaro


It is a native vine of unknown and very ancient origins. It is believed that its cultivation began with the Greek colonization.
Its name derives from the union of the Latin nigra, black and the Greek mavro, bitter. Characteristic of the grape is precisely the very dark color and an almost bitter taste of the berries.
Negroamaro is the symbol of the "winemaking Salento" but its cultivation is now widespread throughout Puglia.
In fact, the vine is the protagonist of the Lizzano, Brindisi, Squinzano, Salice Salentino, Leverano, Copertino, Nardò, Galatina, Matino and Alezio docs but is also included in the Rosso di Cerignola DOC.

 

Nero di Troia


It is one of the oldest indigenous grape varieties grown in central-northern Puglia.
It may have originated in Asia Minor, in particular from Troy and may have arrived in Puglia during the Greek colonization.
The territory known as "Federico's lands", that is the large area extending from the north of Bari to the province of Foggia, recognizes its most representative emblem in the Nero di Troia.
The grape variety, in purity or in blends, is included in the DOC Castel del Monte, Cacc’e Mmitte di Lucera, Ortanova, Rosso di Cerignola, Rosso Canosa.
The resulting wine is ruby red in color with orange reflections, dry and harmonious.

 

Notardomenico


Oenological rarity grown in the Upper Salento, mainly in the province of Brindisi, is present, in a percentage of up to 15%, in the DOC Ostuni

 

Ottavianello


It is a native vine whose name may derive from the Marquis of Bugnano di Ottaviano who introduced its cultivation in Puglia.
It is an example of a vine that has survived thanks to the stubbornness and passion of the Apulian winemakers. Ottavianello is grown in the province of Brindisi and is a characterizing element of the Ostuni DOC.
The result is a ruby red wine, with a slightly aromatic flavor, suitable for aging.

 

Primitivo di Gioia


Primitivo, a native vine, was planted for the first time in the territory of Gioia del Colle by the Benedictine monks.
Towards the end of the 1700s, the primicer priest Don Filippo Francesco Indellicati selected a clone and gave it the name of "Primativo" by virtue of its early maturation.
The Primitivo di Gioia is the best known typology foreseen in the DOC Gioia del Colle.

 

Primitivo di Manduria


The autochthonous vine, originally from the Gioia del Colle area, found the ideal conditions for proliferation in the Manduria area.
The Primitivo di Manduria DOC includes in fact numerous towns in the province of Taranto and some in the province of Brindisi.
The wine obtained from these grapes has an intense red color, spicy aromas, high alcohol content.
Initially used as a blending wine, it recently gained the title of quality wine thanks to the work of some producers.

 

Sangiovese


Vine of probable Tuscan origin, it is thought that it was also cultivated by the Etruscans.
Sangiovese, although not originally from Puglia, is a variety grown abundantly in the region.
We find it in the DOC San Severo, Cacc’e Mmitte di Lucera, Ortanova, Rosso di Cerignola and Rosso Canosa, but also Gioia del Colle, Lizzano and Salento, in the DOC Brindisi, Squinzano, Leverano, Copertino, Alezio and Matino.
It produces an intense ruby red wine, with a dry and slightly bitter taste.

 

Susumaniello


Probably of Dalmatian origins, it owes its name to the high productivity at a young age, so much so that it "loads like a donkey".
It is expected in a lower percentage in the Ostuni and Brindisi DOCs.
Recently rediscovered by local producers and also vinified in purity, it confirms the love of Apulian winemakers for their land.
Acid and dry wine, with a dark ruby red color.

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