Apulia represents the heel of the Italian boot formation and is therefore the most southeastern part of Italy. Calabria and Sicily are certainly further south, but in a southwesterly direction. The vine probably existed in Apulia before the Greeks, although it is the latter who brought the well-known grape varieties Negroamaro and Uva di Troia to Apulia. Like in most regions, the viticulture g
ained momentum with the arrival of the Romans.
Apulia is one of the most important regions in Italy in terms of volume. A large part of the wine produced, has historically been used to mix lighter and thinner wines from the north that lacked power and alcohol strength. In recent decades, however, more work has been put into quality. The result has proven to be very favorable and today Apulia’s wines have become really popular all over the world.
Around 4.9 million hectoliters of wine are produced in Apulia over 87,000 hectares of land. 65% of the wines are red or rosé and 35% are white. Most of the production is varietal wines and the most commonly used grape varieties for the red wines are Primitivo, Negroamaro and Uva di Troia, but Aglianico, Sangiovese, Malvasia Nera, Montepulciano, Aleatico, Bombino Nero, Susumaniello and l’Ottavianello are also grown in Puglia.
For the white wines, Malvasia bianca, Fiano, Bombino Bianco, Verdeca, Falanghina, Bianco d’Alessano, Pampanuto, Moscato and Chardonnay are used, of which the latter two have no historical relationship with Apulia.
The Campania wine region is located next to Apulia, but to the west, in the southwestern part of Italy. The Campania wine region has a long history and produces both high quality white and red wines. The reds dominate with 60% of the total production of 1.7 million hectoliters of wine.
Wine has been produced since ancient times and the Greeks were probably the ones who introduced the popular grape varieties Aglianico, Greco, Fiano, Falanghina, Biancolella and Piedirosso. But the Campania wine region also uses other less known grape varieties. The Campania wine region has more than 100 different local grape varieties, which is unique to the world’s wine production.
Since the 1980s, certain grape varieties have been prioritized together with a focus on quality. Many wines such as the white Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino and the red exclusive Taurasi have been very successful in the international markets.
