Puglia- New & Old
Located in the heel of Italy's boot shaped peninsula Puglia is not nearly as well-known as some of Italy's other wine regions, but it has recently become the darling of wine writers and prominent restaurant sommeliers. Why? The wines of Puglia offer unique aromas, flavors and textures and come in a wide variety of styles that all happen to pair beautifully with food, especially Puglia's most famous export- PASTA. In decades past Puglian wine was always in high demand with sneaky wineries in France, Northern Italy and Spain where they would use it to "fix" their own wines' deficient color and body. While this scandalous behavior is largely a thing of the past, what remains is the incredible quality that can be found in the wines of Puglia.
Here are two terrific examples of these marvelous wines. The Torre Quarto Bottaccia is made in a modern, fruit-laden style and the Capitanio Brindisi Riserva more of a traditional wine.
Made from the mysterious Uva di Troia grape this wine tastes like a hypothetical blend of a bold Zinfandel and a velvety Cabernet Sauvignon. It's rich, but almost silky in the mouth with gorgeous frutiness and a swirl of earth and spice. The Bottaccia would be great with zasty pasta dishes, like penne with arrabbiata sauce.
"The 2008 Uva di Troia Bottaccia is bold and exuberant in its intensely perfumed fruit, spices and herbs. There is wonderful sense of vibrancy that runs through the Bottaccia that confers minerality and balance. This is a terrific effort from Torre Quarto. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2014."- 89 points- Robert Parker's Wine Advovcate
This blend of Negroamaro, Malvasia and Sangiovese is such an alluring wine, yes it's big and bold but there is a heavier dose of exotic spice and fragrant earth. It's as much fun smelling this wine as tasting it, each sip reveals something different. A velvety, warm red like this is perfect with slow-cooked meat dishes braised like pork shoulder or a roasted leg of lamb.
