Puglia has undergone the influence of both Greek and Roman culture. Once defined as the winery of Italy, due to the high production of cutting wines and municipalities, this region is striving to improve the quality of its wines, which in some cases achieve excellent results.
The production is among the highest in the country, with 5,920,000 hl of wine in 2009, which places it in third place in Italy, after Veneto and Emilia Romagna.
The most cultivated vines are mainly black grapes, which cover about 2/3 of the Apulian vineyard, in particular bitter negro, primitive (perhaps related to the Californian zindandel) and black malvasia in the provinces of Lecce and Taranto, while the sangiovese is widespread in Foggia.
Among those white, green and white of Alessano are the most important in the Itria valley, while the area of San Severo is the cradle of the white bombina.
The vines grown in the various Apulian areas are very numerous, distributed according to the characteristics of the land and the climate, with the best results in those hills, which are not very extensive in this region.
Also here there are some import vines, especially in the province of Bari, with vineyards cultivated with chardonnay, sauvignon, pinot bianco and pinot noir.
Rosé wines from Salento are very well known and appreciated, obtained mainly from bitter negro and black malvasia from Lecce and Brindisi, which give a delicate aroma. Equally famous is the Castel del Monte, especially the Rosso Riserva, obtained from a blend of local vines.
The white wine produced and known also outside the region is the Locorotondo, while among the dessert wines the Moscato di Trani, obtained from white muscat, expresses well the aromatic qualities of this vine.