From producers to marketers and not least consumers, the verdict is unanimous: never has wine Apulia been so strong and competitive, with an average wine level that fears no comparison.
This success is due first and foremost to the good price-quality ratio, then to the dynamism of the producers, and last but not least to a strategy implemented by the regional institutions, which have presented Puglia wine collectively, giving it mass and quality at the same time. Great credit must therefore be given to those producers who have been able to innovate, creating a more modern image with their wines, with wines anchored in tradition but interpreting it in a more up-to-date way, without giving up their territoriality.
Successes have different names and different interpreters, from companies with large numbers to smaller ones that are carving out spaces in unexplored niches. Dominating the domestic and foreign markets in recent years has been Primitivo both from Manduria and Gioia del Colle, the demand for which is growing steadily and which finds unanimous acclaim for its immediacy, generous fruit and pleasantness.
Never before has an Apulian wine been so successful. Negroamaro, the prince of Salento, with a strong history, is seeking to consolidate its presence, relying on companies with a great past but which also look to the future, as well as young companies seeking space in an increasingly global and competitive market.
The image of Nero di Troia, although younger on the national and international market, can count on one of the region's most dynamic wine sectors. From the lands of Castel del Monte to the slopes of Daunia, Nero di Troia finds interpreters who know how to transmit character and specificity to the wines despite the heterogeneity of such a vast territory.
All red in the region? It cannot be denied that red wines are the prevailing production, even if in recent years the whites are finding interpretations of a good level, focusing much on the rediscovery of grape varieties such as Fiano Minutolo, Fiano more properly called Fiano, Malvasia and Falanghina and the much bistratted Bombino Bianco, but also the international Chardonnay is finding good interpreters.
There is a separate discussion for rosé wines, where Apulia confirms its vocation with a good level of quality production that places it at the top nationally. Despite the chase after international models, Apulian rosé still manages to maintain its own identity and thus be perceived by consumers.
Relying on the versatility of our grapes, rosés derived from Negromaro, Nero di Troia, Bombino Nero, which it is worth remembering is the only DOCG in Italy dedicated to rosé, and even from primitivo we obtain good rosés. Such a heterogeneous variety can only be found in Puglia.
Last in order are the sparkling wines. The world of bubbly has no boundaries and there are many companies that have dedicated themselves to this type and also with some success. As often happens in times of expansion, everything arrives on the market, from sparkling wines produced with the same system used to make Prosecco (Martinotti method) but also with the production process used to make Champagne (Franciacorta and Metodo Classico).
Everything, however, is offered without distinction as Prosecco. In this large market, there is therefore room for Apulian sparkling wines, which, riding the long wave of success in the Veneto region, are gaining good market shares, especially regional ones.
There is no doubt that the agri-food sector with its excellence, from olive oil to fruit and vegetable products, makes a decisive contribution to the region's tourist success.
It is equally clear that in addition to the classic hospitality structures, a decisive hand comes from those wineries that have made hospitality a choice to build consumer loyalty by offering not only their wines but all the territorial products that only Apulia can offer.
Pasquale Porcelli
food and wine journalist
