Puglia: The heel of Italy, dark fruit, and low prices
Reds, whites and rosés, from €11Puglia occupies the heel of the boot, a low-lying strip of land wedged between the Ionian and Adriatic Seas. Plenty of sunshine, little rain, ancient vines, and grape varieties that no one else is clamoring for. The result is red wines with ripe dark fruit and melted tannins, sold at prices that few other Italian regions still offer.
Our selection includes eleven wines, nine of which are available, priced between €11 and €21.90 per bottle. The grape variety table, below, explains the difference between a Primitivo and a Negroamaro. The price table shows what you gain by moving up a notch.
San Marzano - Primitivo Puglia 2024
An intense and generous Primitivo with flavors of black fruits
San Marzano - Timo Vermentino 2025
A fresh and mineral Vermentino, from vineyards located on the edge of the Adriatic Sea
San Marzano - Tramari Rosé of Primitivo 2022
An elegant rosé made from Primitivo, a grape variety from the Puglia region
San Marzano - Negroamaro Puglia 2022
A sublime Negroamaro, an indigenous grape variety from Puglia.
San Marzano - Primitivo di Manduria SOUTH 2022
A cuvée of fabulous structure and complexity, from the star region of Primitivo.
Vineka - Primitivo 2023
A round Primitivo, with delicious notes of small red fruits
Vineka - Negroamaro 2022
An elegant and delicious red, symbol of Guglielmo Zito wines
San Marzano - Amai Susumaniello Rosato 2023
An elegant and refreshing rosé made from Susumaniello, a rare grape variety from Puglia.
Vineka - Red Puglia 2022
2 indigenous grape varieties from Puglia blended to create a round and easy-drinking wine
Vineka - Verdeca 2022
A white wine that embodies the sunny and vibrant character of Puglia
Vigneti del Vulture - Tufarello Nero di Troia 2019
Nero di Troia, an indigenous grape variety from northern Puglia
Seven grape varieties from the heel of Italy
Here, the grape variety is written in large letters on the label and the appellation in very small letters. So that's where you need to start. Two red grapes dominate, Primitivo and Negroamaro, and they tell a completely different story.
| Grape variety | What it gives | Where can it be found | In our cellar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primitivo red | Ripe black fruit, plum, fig, sweet spices. Melted tannins, broad mouthfeel, very little bitterness. | Salento and the Manduria area, in the south of the region. | San Marzano Primitivo Puglia 2024, Vineka Primitivo 2023, Primitivo di Manduria SUD 2022 |
| Negroamaro red | Drier and firmer than Primitivo, with a clean bitterness on the finish. Very drought-resistant. | Salento, where he was born. | San Marzano Negroamaro Puglia 2022, Vineka Negroamaro 2022 |
| Black Malvasia red, blended | Rarely alone, it brings perfume and rounds off the finish of Negroamaro. | Salento, in addition. | Vineka Rosso Puglia 2022 |
| Susumaniello red, here rosé | A rare grape variety, long abandoned because it produced too little. In rosé, it yields bright red fruits and a dry finish. | The surroundings of Brindisi. | San Marzano Amai Susumaniello Rosé 2023 |
| Nero di Troia red | More austere and tighter tannins than those of Salento grape varieties, with less roundness. | The north of the region, around Canosa di Puglia. | Vigneti del Vulture Tufarello 2019, out of stock for the moment |
| Verdeca white | Light indigenous white, on green apple and white flowers, with no oak aging. | The Itria Valley, in the center of the region. | Vineka Verdeca 2022 |
| Vermentino white | Citrus and floral notes, a saline hint linked to the proximity of the sea. | Brindisi, in Salento, at an altitude of about one hundred meters. | San Marzano Timo Vermentino 2025 |
Only one of our vintages bears a DOC on the label, the Primitivo di Manduria from San Marzano, and it is also the most expensive in the aisle at €21.90. The others stick to the broader Puglia and Salento indications, which in no way reflects their quality.
From €11 to €21.90, what changes in the bottle?
The difference between the lowest and highest price on the shelf is only about ten euros. In other words, it's better to state what's gained at each level rather than imply that everything is of equal value.
| The price | What's New | The vintages |
|---|---|---|
| €11 the bottle | The entry-level price for the section, and the lowest in our entire Italian catalog. A smooth blend of Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera, to drink within the year. | Vineka Red Puglia 2022 |
| €11.90 the bottle | Three single-varietal wines from the San Marzano cooperative, vinified in vats, without oak. The fruit is direct and the texture clearer than in the previous tier. | Primitivo Puglia 2024, Negroamaro Puglia 2022, Timo Vermentino 2025 |
| €12.90 the bottle | The three vintages of Vineka, a winery founded in 2016 in the Itria Valley. One grape variety per bottle, in both red and white, and less interventionist vineyard practices. | Vineka Primitivo 2023, Negroamaro 2022, Verdeca 2022 |
| €14.90 the bottle | A rare grape vinified as a rosé, Susumaniello. It's the only rosé available in the section. | San Marzano Amai 2023 |
| €21.90 the bottle | Top shelf: sixty-year-old vines, long skin maceration, four months in French oak. Denser and longer on the palate. | San Marzano Primitivo di Manduria SUD 2022 |
| By threes or by sixes depending on the cuvées | The case reduces the price on two wines only. The Rosso Puglia goes from €11 to €9.90 per bottle for three and €9.50 for six, the Verdeca from €12.90 to €11.90 for six. On the others, the unit price does not change. | Vineka Rosso Puglia, Vineka Verdeca |
Prices shown are for the 75 cl bottle. Two wines are currently out of stock: Tramari Rosé di Primitivo and Tufarello Nero di Troia.
A bottle for every intention
Only cuvées available for shipment today are listed here, all sold individually. The price shown is per bottle.
The cheapest in our Italian section
Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera, supple and fruity, with no harshness. The everyday wine, also available in packs of three and six.
Vineka Rosso Puglia 2022 · €11Understanding Primitivo
The latest vintage from the San Marzano cooperative, hand-harvested. Plum, black cherry, melted tannins: the varietal without detours.
San Marzano Primitivo Puglia 2024 · €11.90Understanding Negroamaro
Same price, same house, different character: drier, firmer, with a distinct bitterness at the finish. To be tasted against the Primitivo.
San Marzano Negroamaro Puglia 2022 · €11.90A seaside white wine
Vermentino planted near Brindisi, macerated for a few hours on skins, aged five months in tank. Lemon and flowers, saline finish.
San Marzano Timo Vermentino 2025 · €11.90A white grape variety found nowhere else
Verdeca from the Itria Valley, light and floral. Less well known than Vermentino, which is much more typical of the region.
Vineka Verdeca 2022 · €12.90Summer rosé
Susumaniello, an indigenous grape variety long neglected, vinified as a rosé on clay-limestone soils. Bright red fruits, dry finish.
San Marzano Amai 2023 · €14.90To take it up a notch
Sixty-year-old vines in Manduria, long maceration, four months in barrels. The densest cuvée on the shelf.
Primitivo di Manduria SUD 2022 · €21.90The entire San Marzano cellar
The Salento cooperative brought together in a separate radius, including reds, whites, and rosés.
The San Marzano sectionAll our primitivo wines
The grape variety beyond Puglia, with the other regions that cultivate it.
The primitive radius
Why are these wines so inexpensive
The question comes up every time, and the answer is not obscure. Puglia is flat, dry and sunny: the vines suffer little there, treatments are rare, yields are sufficient without forcing. The grape varieties, Primitivo and Negroamaro at the forefront, are not subject to any speculation. And the appellations do not have the notoriety that elsewhere allows prices to be doubled without changing anything in the bottle.
However, not everything is good at eleven euros. The region's flaw is wine that is too ripe, almost sweet, which you tire of after the second glass. We rule those out. What we keep has fruit, melted tannins, and above all a dry finish, the kind that makes you want another bite.
How do you choose
Above all, on the finish. If it leaves a sweet impression, the bottle doesn't come in, whatever its purchase price.
And on the consistency of the estate. San Marzano and Vineka maintain the same level from one vintage to the next, which counts for more than an isolated flash of brilliance when buying everyday wine.
The Wine Wanderer Team
What we're asked about Apulian wines
What is Primitivo?
A red grape varietal from southern Italy, genetically identical to Californian Zinfandel. It ripens early, hence its name, and produces dark wines with notes of plum, black cherry, and sweet spices, with melted tannins. We offer three vintages in this section, and others in the primitivo section.
Primitivo or Negroamaro, which to choose?
Primitivo is rounder, fruitier, more immediate: it's the one that everyone likes. Negroamaro is drier, firmer, with a distinct bitterness on the finish that makes it better at the table than as an aperitif. At San Marzano, both are the same price, €11.90: the easiest thing to do is open them side by side.
What is Primitivo di Manduria?
The most renowned appellation for this grape variety, around the city of Manduria, in the Salento peninsula. The specifications here are stricter than for a regional Primitivo. Our SUD 2022 cuvée comes from sixty-year-old vines and spent four months in French oak barrels, which explains its price of €21.90, the highest in the department.
Are Puglia wines sweet?
Some are. The climate pushes the grapes to a very advanced maturity and some producers intentionally leave residual sugar, which gives jammy reds. This is not the style we buy: our cuvées are vinified dry, and this is the first thing we check during tasting.
Do these bottles keep?
Few, and that is not their purpose. White and rosé wines should be drunk within two years of the vintage. Entry-level reds last three to four years without really improving. Only Primitivo di Manduria SUD, with its long maceration and barrel aging, benefits from aging five years or more.
Are there white and rosé wines in Puglia?
Yes, and they are worth a detour. We have two whites, a Vermentino from Brindisi and a Verdeca from the Itria Valley, a grape variety rarely found elsewhere. On the rosé side, the Susumaniello from San Marzano comes from a rare red grape variety, long abandoned because it produced too little.
At what temperature should I serve a red wine from Puglia?
Around 16°C, never more. These are ripe and generous wines: served warm, they appear heavy and alcoholic. Fifteen minutes in the refrigerator before the meal is enough to restore their freshness, especially in summer. Decanting is not necessary, as the tannins are already mellow.
What should I serve them with?
Primitivo goes well with grilled meats, spicy dishes, and pressed cheeses. The drier Negroamaro complements lamb, beef, and grilled vegetables. White wines are suitable for aperitifs and fish. It's Southern cuisine, with tomatoes, olive oil, and dried herbs, and these wines were made for it.