Every year the editors of Wine Enthusiast Magazine travel the world in search of the best wine and food as well as the most exciting places to visit.  Puglia is on the list for 2013. The magazine describes Puglia as a “magical wine destination” and “a thin peninsula packed tight with stunning beauty and surrounded by some of the bluest waters in Europe.”It’s an undiscovered land with an enviable quality of life.” According to Wine Enthusiast, “Puglia offers wines for all tasting types.”  Read more here.

Among the variety of wines praised by the magazine are the reds from Uva di Troia, Bombino Nero and Aglianico, the white Bombino Bianco and the sweet Moscato di Trani. The editors describe Puglia’s local wines as showing “ripe berry nuances, inky concentration and soft tannins.”  Also mentioned are the crisp white wines made from the Malvasia, Fiano, Chardonnay and Greco grapes.

Puglia produces more wine than any other area in Italy.  The grapes of Puglia ripen most of the year due to the mild, dry climate.  Because of this, the grapes have a higher sugar content.  In years past, much of the grape harvest was shipped to France for mixing with French grapes where the growing season is shorter and the climate rainier. Now the focus is on quality rather than quantity and growers are adopting new practices to produce better and better wines.