Italy - Puglia

Deep in the south, along the Gargano Mountains and the Salento peninsula, the spur and heel of the boot of Italy, right on the Adriatic coast, lies the region of Apulia. The first vines were planted here 3,000 years ago by the Phoenicians and the Greeks, making the region one of the oldest wine-growing regions in the world. In contrast to the other southern regions of Italy, the landscape consists of plateaus and lowlands. Due to the dry, hot climate with low rainfall, the approximately 88,000 hectares of vineyards, around 75% of which are used for red wine varieties, have to be partially irrigated artificially.