Puglia’s history is known for producing bulk table wine that was sold to the rest of Europe and even Northern Italy. Even though this still happens today, Puglia has focused on their quality and really established itself as a major player in today’s wine market. Today it ranks in the top 3 regions throughout all of Italy for producing the largest amount of wine. If you’re not familiar with the region, Puglia is located in southeastern Italy forming the heel of the boot. It’s one of the few regions I have yet to visit, but is top of my list for when I eventually return there. We can all dream at this point with everything going on in the US.
The Winery ~ Cantine Amastuola
Today I’m featuring Cantine Amastuola. About 690 feet above sea level in Crispiano at the heart of Puglia’s Valle d’Itria, the property occupies about 420 acres planted to vines and olive trees surrounded by stone walls. The masseria, or farmhouse, where Amastuola resides was built in the 15th century. Throughout history is has fallen under a couple different, but since 2003 it is owned by the Montanaro family of Massafra, also known as the Kikau Group.
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| Copyright of Masseria Amastuola |
Although Puglia is dominated by red wines by about 70%, today I’m sharing a white wine from Amastuola, 2017 Calaprice IGP. It was interesting to sample a wine made primarily from international grapes as a small percentage is produced in the region and the Fiano grape that makes up a small percentage of the blend is a native grape of the Campania region. This is an organic wine made of 50% Chardonnay, 45% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Fiano. Made in stainless steel it’s a medium-bodied wine with notes of apple and tropical fruits backed by good acidity. Personally, the Chardonnay showed up mostly on the palette for me so if you’re a fan of stainless Chardonnay it’s worth trying out this interesting blend. ABV 13.5%
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