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ITALY |
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puglia food AND wineLa Cucina PuglieseWhen you visit Puglia and go north from Bari towards the Gargano Peninsula, you will pass dozens of miles of olive groves. It's little wonder that olive oil should play a major role in the region's cooking, as do cereals and grains gown on the flat stony plateau that extends south from Bari, reaching all the way to Taranto. Some of the grain becomes pasta -- Puglia is especially known for orecchiette, pasta whose shape brings the human ear to mind -- and some becomes bread; the bread of the town of Altamura is renowned, and throughout the region you'll find friselle, disks of dried bread to be dipped in water and seasoned, with olive oil, hot peppers, and freshly cut tomatoes.What else is there to enjoy? Fine cheeses and excellent lamb and kid -- Puglia was once one of the major shepherding regions of Italy -- and superb fish: the region boasts hundreds of miles of coastline, the water is crystal clear, and the catch is both plentiful and varied. Among the preferred vegetables are fava beans, lampasioni (a type of bulb), and eggplant. And to finish up, Puglia boasts some spectacular almond cakes, and has excellent fruit; especially figs. La Vino Pugliese Apulia produces more wine than any other Italian region usually making up around 17% of the national total. It also competes with Sicily for first place as grape producer. For a long time much of the wine made here was shipped north to Turin were it was used to make Vermouth, or to France where it was used to give structure to French wines when the local harvest was either poor or insufficient. In recent years, Pugliese vintners have changed their views and tastes and are pursuing wines that effectively balance sweetness, acid, alcohol content and density. Apulia counts 25 DOC wines including the Primitivo di Manduria, a red named after the grape with the same name that a California researcher, Carole Meredith, proved to have the same DNA as the American Zinfandel, the appreciated and prize-winning California Grape. The Accademia dei Racemi, an association that brings together vintners, agronomists and oenologists is dedicated to promoting and enhancing the quality of wine production in the region. Under the leadership of Mr. Gregory Polucci, it produces an excellent Primitivo and is experimenting with Zinfandel grapes imported from the USA. A special mention should be made of Salice Salentino, a powerful red produced in the Lecce province. It is made primarily with Negro Amaro and has gained an enthusiastic following abroad because of the excellent ratio quality-price. Puglia has long seen a prevalence of co-operative wine production. As both Italian and European community subsidies for co-op wineries have almost completely dried up, these large establishments and their grape-grower members are facing the choice of either changing their politics or risking annihilation. This is probably best for wine connoisseurs, as many co-ops have already scaled back production in order to focus on quality, branded, bottled wines. |
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