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 If Italy is the ‘boot’ on the world map, Puglia is the heel with Salento as the south-eastern section facing the Ionian Sea. It’s a peninsula with encompassing three viticultural areas of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto. The dominant red grapes are the autochthonous varieties like Negroamaro, Malvasia Nera and Primitivo.. The IGTs are often released as rosso (red) blends, sometimes with international varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, or as single varietals. There are also some excellent Salento rosato wines. Whites (bianco) tend to be produced from Verdicchio and international varietals such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Although focussing earlier on bulk wines that were exported to Northern Italy and France to add colour and alcohol content, the producers have been concentrating more and more of branded and bottled wines that find a very good market because of the uniqueness of grapes and still relatively reasonable prices. Primitivo is same as Zinfandel in India though the alcohol content is higher in igt Salento, going up to 17% or more. The sea coast on both sides- Adriatic on the East and Ionian in the West makes an interesting marine climate and one can enjoy the diversity in Terroirs.
Here are the wineries that I visited:
Cantine Conti Zecca
www.contizecca.it
af.romano@contizecca.it
 It has its origins since 1580 and now with 330 hAs of land the Leverano (Lecce)-based Zecca family has about 2/3rd of the production as red wine and 1/3 as whites. They own 4 estates each with a different label but produced in a common facility in Leverano. They make both DOC Salento and IGT Salento wines which have more flexibility in production. Incidentally, IGT wines are very popular in Salento and Conti Zecca, like many producers makes high quality wines as IGT Salento. 30% of the wines are exported while the rest are sold in domestic market, with 40% of the domestic wines being sold in Puglia only. They specialise in Negroamaro and Primitivo although other local varieties are also produced. Production is from their own grapes and none are bought from outside. They are a well –recognised wine estate and are the founder members of the prestigious producers’ Association, Grandi Cru d’Italia. In order to serve the locals with quaffable wines, they also dispense wines for the localised consumption from €1.20 to 1.75 a liter. A complete range of wines starting from value-for-money to excellent quality wines, is produced. Donna Marzia is a mid-range label that sells very well and at medium prices is the flagship wine label. One of the brothers Conte Alcibiade Zecca who  was kind enough to show me around with the General Manager Fernando Romano, likes NERO and the LUNA.
NERO is their top wine –an IGT wine made from 70% Negroamaro and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. One can buy it at the winery for €25 or pay €50-60 in restaurants selling premium wines. 1998 vintage is still drinking well, showing the decent ageability of this wine. Luna IGT Salento Bianco is another outstanding wine , a blend of 50/50 Chardonnay and Malvasia Bianca and With 30,000 bottles exported to Europe, USA and Japan, the winery is well geared to handle export and has a range to offer for India. In fact, the winery participated in a wine show in Delhi in 2010 and I also visited them in 2012-it’s always a pleasure to visit them and taste their wines. One day soon, one hopes we can find NERO and LUNA are available in India as well, even if only in restaurants.
Tenute Rubino
https://www.tenuterubino.com/it/
direzione@tenuterubino.it
 Luigi Rubino manages the family owned winery with a fervour and zeal not only to promote his wines but also that of the whole region .As he shared with me during an interview a couple of years ago about Puglia and its wines, Star Personality: Luigi Rubino of Puglia
‘We are different than the North Italy). Our terroir is different- we don’t have mountains but we have a lot of sun. We are close to the sea and our food and wine are Mediterranean in nature. We produce the best olive oil. We are among the top 3-4 wine producers in quantity (Veneto, Piemonte and Tuscany are the leaders). We want to be a part of and not secondary in the Italian system of gastronomy.’
 He brings that vision and his winery has become one of the leading producers of Puglia in a short span since 1999. He also likes to shed the image that Puglia produces bulk wines. ‘That was true over 20 years ago as the business then demanded it. Today more and more producers are producing quality bottled wine. For instance, over half of our total production is either doc or igp and the ratio is going up. The interesting thing is that all the Cantine sociale (co-operatives) used to make bulk wines earlier-many even exported grapes to Tuscany. But today, they are producing quality wines and are bottling more and more rather than selling in bulk.’
 Situated on the outskirts of Brindisi, the winery has a very modern plant. Out of 1.2 million bottles produced, 70-80% are exported, mostly to North Europe, USA, Canada, China Japan. Their range is vast, but Luigi has carved out a niche for his winery by reviving the local grape Susumaniello as a varietal since 2001. Though theirs was the only winery then, followed by Cantina Due Palme, a powerful co-operative of the region, now there are over 10 wineries growing the grape and adding to the supply-more are planted regularly. These wines have a great potential in India for Connoisseurs as they go well with Indian cuisine and though the front attack is mildly sweet, the tannins are soft and there is a hint of spiciness. Starting with just one style, now Rubino makes 4 different styles all of which were delicious in tasting- sparkling, Rose, a mid range and another expensive label-exotic but expensive.
Tenute Rubino is also a well suited producer for well-priced wine with unique grapes.
Le Fabriche
www.lefabriche.it
hotel@lefabriche.it
 Story of this producer near Maruggio (Taranto) is inter-twined with Alessia Perrucci, who comes from a family of bulk wine producers. Her conservative family expected her to get a secretarial job or something and not work in the winery. She decided to become a wine producer, took bank loan and went into an equal partnership with a Franciacorta producer who wanted to expand in the South Italy. She bought 13 hA of land (including about 3 hA near her family home. The first vintage was crushed in 1997 in Franciacorta, as her father was upset by her decision to become independent but reconciled later and since then the grapes are crushed at her family winery.
 She also bought this old depleted farm which she renovated and made a beautiful masseria (country farm) on this land, which is now a leading one in the region. She grows Negroamaro, Malvasia Nera, Primitivo and Aglianico in 5 labels. The vineyards are certified organic. She bought out the share of the partner in 2003 and is a proprietor now.
 She started renovating in 2007 and the masseria was ready in 2010. The 18 room (plus one suite) property is the best place to taste and buy her wines which we tasted and found great value-for-money and high quality. The masseria is seasonal and open for only 7 months.
Her objective is to link the wine with the territory and thus give added value to the wine. ‘We cannot compete with other countries making wines in high volume,’ she says. She feels that the women are more emotionally connected with the region and the terroir and will always strive to give the best the terroir has to offer.
The beautiful landscape with the old olive tree groves subsisting along with the vineyard makes it a beautiful sojourn for a day or two where one can taste the wines and also order at meals or even buy them at a very special price. The prices are €10-18 at the Masseria but even less if one wants to buy to take home.
Bosco Societa Agricola-dePadova family
Gruppo de Padova
www.oliodepadova.it
www.terrediterre.it
info@oliodepadova.it
 A co-operative owned by the da Padova family has a string of businesses only one of which is making wine, as a co-operative. With Dott.Francesco Cazzolla at the helm, it is truly a family venture with the whole family involved with the Group in some capacity or the other. They make several food  products that make instant anti-pasti and own a very modern olive oil making presses (they even have collaboration in China). The more important part of the business empire are two Masseria- Strazzati and Masseria Bosco looked after by the daughter Dott.ssa Pierangela dePadova which are great wedding venues and excellent holiday homes.
It appears that the winery has seen better days during which it did roaring business in bulk wine exports. The old winery is a 4-storey round structured building with cement tanks on each floor. Only a small portion is used for winemaking now. We also visited a modern oil press which was very impressive. One of the Masserias is Bosco in a village called Avetrana and is  absolutely a perfect spot for weddings, honeymoons or just a quiet and relaxing vacation where plenty of wine from dePadova family is available to taste.
Hisotelaray Terre di Puglia Liberaterra Coop-Soc. Puglia
www.bottegaliberaterra.it
www.hisotelaray.it
info@hisotelaray.it
 Although not in our original schedule, I was very keen to visit this winery as there are only two wineries in the whole of Italy under the EU sponsored programme co-ordinated by an organisation called Libera Terra authorised to distribute properties confiscated from the convicted mafia persons to co-operatives against tender.
When an ordinary person thinks of mafia, he thinks of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and the movies like Godfather or the popular TV series Soprano. In reality, Italian mafia has been ruthless and deep rooted criminal group that killed those who tried to stand up to it. With the Italian government getting tough and confiscating properties of the convicted, it passed a law in 1994 that the mafia land confiscated could be leased to co-operatives-including wineries. So far, there are only two such wineries-  Centopassi is the other winery in Sicily, which I had visited a few years ago.
With closed circuit cameras installed outside and inside the winery, one can visualise the terror and subsequently the fear psychosis among people. According to some accounts, the wine quality was very poor in the earlier years. But with the infusion of technology and a winemaker from a well-known producer in Piemonte, the quality has seen a marked improvement in the years.
 The winery makes organic wine. Each label-Renato Fonte Salento igt (Negroamaro 100%), Antó igt Puglia (Primitive 100%), Filari de Sant’Antoni Salento igt (Negroamaro 100%) and Alberelli de La Santa Rosato Salento igt (Negroamaro 100%) are dedicated to specific people killed by the mob for standing up to them, The name of the winery itself has been based on Hiso Telaray, an immigrant farm work from Albania, murdered by the mafia.
With a holding of 25 hA of vines in different parcels, the production is relatively small though it is being exported as far away as the USA. I tasted a range of wines with Alessandro Leo, President of the winery. These included a Rose, followed by a Negroamaro 100%-also biological. Very clean and interesting wines and the prices are reasonable.
Cantina Cooperative Riforma Fondiaria - Mesagne
http://www.cantinariformamesagne.it
 This wine co-operative with over a thousand members is completing 60 years of existence in 2015 and makes a complete line of white, red and rose table wines, both as IGT and DOC wines as also a sweet Muscat.
Principessa Iran is a nice Brindisi DOC wine from Primitivo-a good quality wine at a reasonable price. Primitivo Salento igt is perhaps one of the wines that will impress many people.
 The strength of the winery , apart from its experience is that it offers a wide range at different price points and can even give wines for private labels. One can get wine for as low as €1 when dispensed loose from the bulk wines containers placed in the winery. Local people and those from around Mesagne keep on coming with their jerry cans and different sized containers and  fill them up for their daily/weekly supplies.
Most of the wines here are young drinking and value-for-money wines. The co-operative also makes and sells olive oil.
Puglia is a paradise of agricultural products including several cereals, grains, vegetables and fruits. It is a recent entrant to the field of good quality wines. With a heavy agricultural base that includes centuries old olive trees, they are carving a niche in the field of wines as well. One will hear and drink a lot more of Pugliese wines in the near future in India and several other importing countries.
Subhash Arora |