Puglia Wine Region: Wine Styles, 10 Best Bottles To Buy (2024)

Puglia (Apulia) is a beautiful, sunny wine region located in southern Italy. It’s remarkable wines boast a fruit-forward character, refreshing acidity, and fine tannins.  

Let’s explore the terroir of the Puglia wine region, subregions, Puglia wine styles, food pairings, best bottles to buy in 2024, and the famous Puglia wine producers.

The Incredible Terroir Of The Puglia Wine Region

The long and narrow Puglia wine region is mainly famous for growing remarkable table and wine grapes.

It has a hot-dry Mediterranean climate with cool breezes that come from the Adriatic sea. Its terroir also comprises fertile limestone-rich soils that are ideal for growing succulent grapes. 

Puglia is mainly home to grape growers but has a few winemakers who produce delicious wines in small quantities.  

What Are The Main Puglia Wine Styles? 

Here are the delicious wine styles made in Puglia:  

A. Red Wine

Red wines make up the vast majority of Puglia’s wine production. 

• Sangiovese: Puglia’s star grape, Sangiovese, is a dark purple variety that produces bright red wines with an intensely rich and fruity character, soft tannins, and ripe fruit aromas. 
• Negroamaro: This dark and thick-skinned variety is one of Puglia’s native grapes. It produces aromatic, full-bodied wines with soft tannin, herbaceous notes, and a distinct bitter profile. 
• Primitivo: Puglian Primitivo is a succulent grape that’s also known as California’s Zinfandel. The Primitivo grape produces sweet wines with intense aromatics, black fruit flavors, low acidity, and moderate tannins.
• Nero di Troia (Uva di Troia): This Italian black-skinned grape ripens late and produces dry wines with medium acidity and fine tannins. 
• Bombino Nero: Bombino Nero is a black-skinned grape primarily used as a color-enhancer in Rosé (Rosato) wines. However, this fine grape also produces fresh and soft red wines with ample acidity and subtle sweetness. 
• Montepulciano: Montepulciano is a red Italian grape that produces dry wines with juicy fruit flavors, soft tannins, and high acidity. 

B. White Wine

Let’s now take a look at the most delicate Puglian white wine styles: 

• Verdeca: Verdeca is an Italian white wine grape that’s usually blended with Bianco d’Alessano. It’s grown almost exclusively in Apulian wine regions and is famous for its easy-drinking wines with herbal and citrus notes, clean minerality, and crisp acidity. 
• Bombino Bianco: Bombino Bianco is a resistant and easy-growing grape that produces lemon-yellow colored wines with subtle minerality, floral notes, and citrus flavors.
• Greco Bianco: This incredible grape hails from Greece and is genetically similar to the Asprinio variety. It produces wines with racy acidity, grassy aromas, and earthy notes.
• Chardonnay: The pale green Puglian Chardonnay grape produces rich, aromatic wines with a velvety texture, delightful minerality, and an acidic, well-rounded finish. 

C. Rosé Wine

Puglia is also famous for producing these beautiful Rosé wines:

• Negroamaro: The dark-skinned Negroamaro grape produces Rosé wines with a soft coral pink color, incredible sweetness, and rose, geranium, strawberry, and cherry aromas.
• Bombino Nero: The Bombino Nero red grape produces aromatic Rosé wines with low tannins and an elegant nose of flowers and red fruit. 
• Cinsault (Ottavianello): The dark-skinned Cinsault grape produces brick-red colored Rosé wines with soft tannins, floral aromas, and red berry flavors. 
• Susumaniello: Susumaniello is a native Puglian grape variety that produces light-bodied wines with subtle acidity and a deeply aromatic palate of strawberry and cranberries.  

10 Best Puglia Wines To Buy In 2024 (Including Wine Tasting Notes)

Here are the 10 best Apulian wines to try in 2024: 

1. 2007 Gianfranco Fino 'Es' Primitivo di Manduria 
2. 2012 Schola Sarmenti Diciotto Salento Rosso IGT 
3. 1977 Cosimo Taurino Patriglione Rosso Salento IGT 
4. 2015 Gianfranco Fino 'Es piu Sole' Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale
5. 2014 Gianfranco Fino 'Es' Riserva Primitivo di Manduria
6. 2014 Tenute Chiaramonte Primitivo Gioia del Colle Riserva
7. 2010 Tormaresca Bocca di Lupo Castel del Monte
8. 2011 Gianfranco Fino 'Jo' Negroamaro Salento IGT
9. 2014 Vespa 'Helena' Nero di Troia
10. 2011 Masseria Li Veli MLV Salento IGT

1. 2007 Gianfranco Fino 'Es' Primitivo di Manduria ($186) 

This beautiful Primitivo wine has soft tannins, medium acidity, black currant aromas, and cherry flavors with cassis and spice notes. 

2. 2012 Schola Sarmenti Diciotto Salento Rosso IGT ($139)

This red wine from Italy shines with crisp acidity, red berry aromas, and a dense palate of blueberry, cranberry, and creamy cassis flavors. 

3. 1977 Cosimo Taurino Patriglione Rosso Salento IGT ($125)

This Italian wine boasts full-bodied richness, floral aromas, and licorice flavors with chocolate notes. 

4. 2015 Gianfranco Fino 'Es piu Sole' Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale ($121)

This sweet Primitivo wine has ample acidity, intense floral aromas, and a velvety-textured palate of ripe fruit, cocoa, and spice notes. 

5. 2014 Gianfranco Fino 'Es' Riserva Primitivo di Manduria ($116)

This burgundy-colored Primitivo wine has fresh acidity, dark fruit aromas, and plum flavors with black cherry and oak notes.

6. 2014 Tenute Chiaromonte Primitivo Gioia del Colle Riserva ($90)

This high quality wine has full-bodied richness, black cherry aromas, and ripe black fruit flavors with cassis and prune notes. 

7. 2010 Tormaresca Bocca di Lupo Castel del Monte ($70)

The 2010 Castel del Monte wine has subtle acidity, soft tannins, tropical fruit aromas, and a spicy palate with plum notes. 

8. 2011 Gianfranco Fino 'Jo' Negroamaro Salento IGT ($65)

This Puglian wine has crisp acidity, vanilla aromas, and black fruit flavors with cassis and spice notes. 

9. 2014 Vespa 'Helena' Nero di Troia ($59) 

This Nero di Troia wine from southern Italy boasts tangy acidity, medium tannins, dark cherry aromas, and red berry flavors with tobacco and vanilla notes. 

10. 2011 Masseria Li Veli MLV Salento IGT ($59)

This red wine has medium tannins, high acidity, a toasty vanilla aroma, and a cherry flavor with pepper and ripe plum notes.

So, which Puglian wine producer should you go for? 

Some other famous Apulian wine producers to look out for include:

• Albea
• Leone de Castris
• Cantina Moros winery
• Masseria Maime
• Cantine Polvanera winery
• Michele Calí winery
• Valentina Passalacqua winery

What Food Can You Pair With Puglia Wine?

Puglian wines are versatile drinks that pair nicely with a variety of dishes. 

Try a glass of Puglia wine with southern Italian cuisine or grilled vegetables, barbequed meats, pasta, stews, salmon, and fresh fruits. 

What Are The Major Puglia Wine Subregions? 

Puglia is divided into three subregions - the north (Foggia), middle (Taranto and Bari), and south (Lecce and Brindisi) subregions.

This Italian wine region has 29 DOCs and 4 DOCGs that comprise the best vineyard sites. 

The main Puglia DOCs include:

• Alezio
• Matino
• Galatina
• Copertino
• Nardo
• Leverano
• Lizzano
• Brindisi
• Salice Salentino DOC

Here are Puglia’s DOCG regions:

• Castel del Monte Bombino Nero
• Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva
• Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva
• Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale

Sip A Delicious Puglia Wine!

Puglia wine promises to be a delicious treat for any wine enthusiast - a perfect beverage to savor while you build your wine investment portfolio!

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Visit the Vinovest website! It’s an incredible wine investment platform that lets you easily buy, store, and sell investment-worthy DOC wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and other fine wines from Italy and all over the world.