Puglia wines: a guide to the region's grapes and best-known wines

Puglia is one of the Italian regions that produce the most wine, and over the last few decades it has also become one of the most interesting for quality. From the Gargano to Salento, climate, soils and grape varieties change, and so does the wine in the glass. In this guide you will find Puglia's wine areas, its best-known reds and whites, its rosés, sparkling wines and denominations, with the wines we make at Cantina Albea in Alberobello.

Puglia's wine areas

To keep it simple, Puglia's wine country can be divided into three large areas.

The north, between the province of Foggia and the Castel del Monte area, is the land of Nero di Troia and Bombino.

The centre includes the Murge plateau, where Gioia del Colle grows a fresh, taut Primitivo, and the Valle d'Itria, the land of the trulli between Alberobello, Locorotondo and Martina Franca, famous for its white wines.

The south is Salento, between Taranto, Brindisi and Lecce: the home of Negroamaro, Primitivo di Manduria and rare varieties such as Susumaniello.

Puglia's best-known red wines

Primitivo. The best-known Puglia red. Around Manduria it gives warm, soft wines rich in ripe fruit; in Gioia del Colle, fresher wines. You will find ours in the Primitivo selection and everything else in our guide to Primitivo di Manduria.

Negroamaro. The grape of Salento: deeply coloured, spicy reds with a slightly bitter finish, and some of the most popular rosés in Italy. See the Negroamaro selection and our guide to Negroamaro.

Nero di Troia. The great red of the north, elegant and tannic, with its typical violet aroma. It is the star of Castel del Monte. See the Nero di Troia selection and our guide to Nero di Troia.

Susumaniello. An ancient variety from the Brindisi area that nearly disappeared and is now back in the bottle, as a red and as a rosé. We grow it in the Valle d'Itria: see the Susumaniello selection and our guide to Susumaniello.

Puglia's white wines

Puglia is not only about reds. The most typical whites come from the Valle d'Itria and the Murgia hills, where the climate is cooler. The main grapes are Verdeca and Bianco d'Alessano, which together make the Locorotondo and Martina Franca DOC wines, joined by the aromatic Minutolo and by Fiano.

Our whites include Il Selva, Locorotondo DOC Superiore, floral and mineral, the Verdeca Valle d'Itria IGP from the Due Trulli range, with Verdeca and a touch of Minutolo, and Lei, a more structured white that ages 8 months in barriques. All are in our white wines selection.

Puglia's rosés

Puglia is one of Italy's historic rosé regions. Rosés are made from Negroamaro, Primitivo, Susumaniello and Bombino Nero, which has its own DOCG at Castel del Monte. They are fresh, versatile wines that go well beyond the aperitif.

Ours are Petrarosa, a rosé from Primitivo di Gioia del Colle, and the Susumaniello rosé from the Due Trulli range. You will find them among our rosé wines.

Puglia's sparkling wines

In recent years Puglia has also started making quality sparkling wines from local grapes, both with the traditional method, with a second fermentation in the bottle, and with the Charmat method, in an autoclave tank. At Cantina Albea we make three: Odegitria, a traditional-method wine from Minutolo, Bianco d'Alessano, Maresco and Verdeca that rests 48 months on its lees; Ruffiano, a brut made from Fiano; and R'osé, a brut rosé made from Uva di Troia. See all our sparkling wines.

DOCG, DOC and IGP: Puglia's denominations

Puglia has four DOCGs: Castel del Monte Bombino Nero, Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva, Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva and Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale. Alongside them there are many DOCs, such as Primitivo di Manduria, Gioia del Colle, Salice Salentino and Locorotondo, and several IGPs, including Puglia, Salento and Valle d'Itria. Many producers, ourselves included, use the IGP for wines from native grapes grown outside the DOC areas or made with freer cellar choices.

Where to taste Puglia wines

The best way to get to know them is to taste them where they are made. In Alberobello you can visit our winery and the Wine Museum, with tastings of our wines.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most famous Puglia wine?

Primitivo, especially Primitivo di Manduria, followed by Negroamaro from Salento and Nero di Troia from Castel del Monte.

What are the typical white wines of Puglia?

Whites based on Verdeca and Bianco d'Alessano, such as Locorotondo DOC and Martina Franca DOC, and wines from Minutolo, Fiano and Bombino Bianco.

What wine is made in Alberobello?

Alberobello lies in the Valle d'Itria, the home of Puglia's great whites from Verdeca and Bianco d'Alessano. Here we also grow Susumaniello, which becomes a fresh and mineral rosé.