Hello everyone-
In a few weeks I will be traveling to the small city of Bisceglia in Puglia Italy. For context, the nearest big city is Bari, which is about 40 minutes to the southeast. I’ll be with non-wine nerd family members, and I know that this location isn’t exactly a wine hotbed, but wondering if there are any wineries worth visiting in the area. I’ll have a car, but will be some family who are older and unable to make big trips, so I’ll have to stay local.
Thanks,
Noah
Rivera and Torrevento are some of the decent names that come to mind.
Great! Thanks for the rec!
Following. Going to Puglia next September with a bunch of winos. Need to re-check which wineries we’re going to. Being a Zin fan, this should be interesting.
Let me know what’s on your agenda and maybe I can scope them out for you!
I did 3 weeks in Puglia and Abruzzi in September and October. Drove over 1,000 miles so I saw some places. LOL
I’ll start a topic in the travel forum and write it up.
Spoiler alert: the whites are pretty decent. Reds I didn’t care for. It’s not a big grape growing region.
They grow olives and a lot of them. Flying into Bari is something else, olive trees everywhere.
Oh lord. Remember to set your expectations low.
This is news to me, since it is Italy’s second biggest region in terms of production.
Yeah I was gonna say! And half of Italy’s olive oil.
Not in the area OP was asking about, but if you’re heading down the coast, this place was a standout with a nice local wine list.
super location, with Bari one of the easiest airports to drive out of (service roads ease you into the driving before you reach the autostrada.
Trani so near, and a lovely place with its Venetian architecture and Puglian sunny coast. Moscato di Trani well worth trying if you like dessert wines.
Castel del Monte of interest for both the octagonal castle, but also the wine where nero di troia grape shines. Good to see Rivera mentioned, and whilst Il Falcone is justifiably famous (albeit that fame doesn’t travel too far), everything I’ve tried in their range has been interesting, and indeed I’m revisiting their Cappellaccio tonight, 15+ years after last having it. That’s probably the most local wine region to you, and probably my favourite in Puglia.
Plenty of others to try from further south (Salento, Salice Salentino, Brindisi, Manduria). There are IMO super bargains to be found, but also still some duds. There’s primitivo at Zinfandel alc% levels, but also some lighter versions at 13% that I rather like. Taste widely, as their are gems, sometimes in unexpected places (e.g. not just the good established stars such as Leone di Castris, Taurino, Candido, Vallone and the others mentioned here, some unknowns can impress)
Do not forget to visit Ostuni. A must
added some stuff over here regarding travel
It may be further than you want to drive, but there is also the Aglianico del Vulture DOCG around Rionero and Melfi about an hour and a half away.
#11 region at 3% of DOC production according to Winefolly
DOC =/= wine or grape…
Naturally Piedmonte is way higher than their total output since they don’t have any IGT appellations and their vino da tavola production is minimal. Virtually everything they produce is DOC or DOCG.
Puglia, on the other hand, has very few DOC or DOCG appellations and a great majority of the production is cheap, uninteresting IGT wine.
https://italianwinecentral.com/wine-production-in-italy-by-region/
Otto is right here, based on your phrasing.
But yes, it’s well know that Puglia makes a ton of bulk wine.
I was in Bari in October. Nothing to recommend regarding wineries but had a really nice meal at Perbacco. Ma & Pa restaurant with different fixed price menu daily. Inexpensive. Mainly locals dining. Wine list was several pages of winemakers I didn’t recognize but the husband and wife who served us poured a couple of different local Aglianico BTG. Rustic cuisine (good rabbit loin that night).
If you like VERY fresh seafood, go to the wharf, Molo San Nicola, early morning. Fishermen will hook you up with a paper plate of raw shrimp, octopus, sea urchin, a hunk of bread and a beer.
Tenderizing octopus.
Brig’s recommendation on Matera is spot on. I stopped there on my way from Taormina to Bari and was blown away by the cliff dwellings, ancient aqueduct/well and architecture. Had a very nice lunch at Stano, another family run restaurant. I would have preferred a couple of days in Matera to my stay in Bari. Looks like it’s an hour drive from your base camp. If you are a James Bond fan, check out the car chase through the streets of Matera in No Time To Die!
