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APULICA / FRUIT, VEGETABLES AND PULSES

Puglia table grapes

PGI · Fruit, vegetables and pulses · Puglia

Apulica editorial team · Sources checked:

In brief

History and origin

Puglia is a land of choice for table grapes, thanks to its soil, its climate and the great skill of its growers, who have carried on this tradition for over two centuries. As early as the late nineteenth century Apulian grapes, which keep well, were being exported beyond Italy's borders.

For a long time table grapes such as baresana or imperatore were grown mainly for home use. The turning point came in the province of Bari around the 1960s: with the introduction of varieties such as Regina and Mennavacca, farms moved from wheat, olives and pulses to a highly specialised crop, and the overhead tendone system spread, making the work far more efficient.

Since then production and above all exports have grown steadily. The name Uva di Puglia is now a Protected Geographical Indication of the European Union, safeguarded by a consortium.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Uva di Puglia IGP · Atlante dei PAT di Puglia — Uva da tavola · eAmbrosia — Uva di Puglia (PGI-IT-0653)

Area and method of production

Uva di Puglia PGI covers five varieties: Italia, Regina and Victoria, which are white, Michele Palieri, which is black, and Red Globe, which is pink. It may come from every province of the region, but only from vineyards below 330 metres.

The vines are trained on a horizontal overhead pergola, the Apulian tendone. Winter pruning takes place from December to the end of February; vineyards may be covered with nets or plastic film, and even grown under glass, both to shield the bunches from hail, wind and rain and to bring ripening forward or delay it. Through the year come tying of shoots, summer pruning, bunch thinning and leaf removal near the grapes to keep them airy.

Picking starts when the bunches meet the quality requirements and varies with the variety: Victoria from early July to the end of August, Regina from mid-July to the end of September, Michele Palieri from late July to the end of October, Red Globe from mid-August to the end of November and Italia from the first week of September to 15 December.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Uva di Puglia IGP · Atlante dei PAT di Puglia — Uva da tavola

How to recognise it

The colour of the berries varies with the variety: pale straw yellow for Italia, Regina and Victoria, pinkish gold for Red Globe, a deep velvety black for Michele Palieri. It is a very sugary grape, sweet in taste and markedly fragrant, especially the Italia.

Besides the beauty of the bunch, even and brightly coloured, it is prized for the crispness of its flesh, which allows it to keep longer.

It is sold in the Extra and Class I categories, and each pack must contain bunches of one variety only: buyers always know which grape they are choosing.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Uva di Puglia IGP

In the kitchen

Uva di Puglia is enjoyed above all fresh, and should be kept cool to preserve its qualities longer. Its sweetness and intense fragrance also make it an ingredient in many dishes, from desserts to first courses: tarts, puddings and ice creams, but also starters, pasta dishes and salads.

The berries also make excellent distilled spirits.

With a season running from early July to mid-December, Apulian grapes stay on the table for almost six months: early varieties such as Victoria open the summer, while Italia is picked until mid-December.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Uva di Puglia IGP

Where to taste it

Table grapes are the main crop in five large areas of Puglia. The Ofanto area includes Trinitapoli, San Ferdinando di Puglia and parts of Cerignola, Canosa and Minervino. West of Bari are Trani, Bisceglie, Molfetta, Terlizzi, Corato, Ruvo di Puglia and Giovinazzo; south-east of Bari Rutigliano, Mola di Bari, Noicattaro, Conversano, Turi, Adelfia, Acquaviva and Polignano, among others.

On the Ionian side grapes grow at Ginosa, Castellaneta, Palagianello, Palagiano, Massafra and Taranto, and between the provinces of Taranto and Brindisi at Grottaglie, Francavilla Fontana, Mesagne, Latiano, San Vito dei Normanni and Carovigno.

Between July and December, travelling across Puglia from Trani to Polignano a Mare, from Castellaneta to Grottaglie, you pass tendone vineyards, often protected by nets or sheeting: this is table-grape country.

Sources: Atlante dei PAT di Puglia — Uva da tavola · Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Uva di Puglia IGP

Protection

When

Where

Puglia