Bianco Puglia IGP 2025

This white was born in Puglia, in south-eastern Italy, thanks to Vineka, a house founded in 2016 in Martina Franca to promote the wines of Salento and the Itria Valley. The grapes come from vineyards planted on the mixed limestone soils of the Itria Valley, a rolling plateau dotted with trulli between Bari, Brindisi and Taranto. These limestone lands give the wines crunchy acidity and lovely salinity, tempered by the generous sunshine of Puglia's long summer.

The cuvée brings together two native white grape varieties, Verdeca and Bianco d'Alessano. Verdeca, a late-ripening variety, is harvested between late September and early October, after enjoying all the summer sun. The grapes, harvested ripe, are gently crushed and pressed, then the must ferments at controlled temperature to preserve freshness and primary aromas. The wine is then aged in stainless-steel tanks, with no oak, to keep all its liveliness and the purity of its fruit.

This wine reveals notes of green apple, fresh grass, lime, grapefruit, pineapple, passion fruit, white blossom and chalk. The fresh, mineral nose combines citrus and tropical fruit with a herbaceous touch. The palate is lively and saline, wonderfully fresh, with a slightly creamy texture reminiscent of Portugal's Atlantic whites. The clean, thirst-quenching finish calls for seafood.

Ah, Italy, what a beautiful, hedonistic country, the land of la dolce vita, but how difficult it is to understand its wine industry! The key to understanding the appellation system in Italy is to think of it as several small countries rather than a single homogeneous nation, as each region has its own appellation system. Italy can offer wine lovers a multitude of wines with varied and unique flavors and styles, bottles brimming with surprise and creativity. Unfortunately, it also produces a large quantity of soulless, characterless wines sold under their most commercially useful and prestigious name: Pinot Grigio, Chianti, Valpolicella, Lambrusco, Prosecco, and many others... But let's talk a little history. Viticulture in Italy dates back to antiquity and originated in Greece. The Etruscans are said to have introduced the vine, and Greek immigrants improved and modified the grape varieties, subsequently calling the country "Oenotria": the land of wine. At the height of the Roman Empire, wine held an important place in daily life, and certain regions already distinguished themselves by the excellence of their product. The Romans also established numerous vineyards in Europe, leaving an indelible mark of their conquest. Today, Italy is the world's largest wine producer, ahead of France. Italy is divided into three climatic zones. The northern mountains have a rather harsh mountain climate. The plains of the "central boot" are characterized by a continental climate with cold winters and hot, stormy summers. In the southern part of the Italian boot, the Mediterranean climate prevails, with very hot and dry summers, not forgetting the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. In short, Italy produces a wide variety of wines thanks to its 200 different grape varieties, many of which originated in its own lands. It is a country as complex as its wines, which deserve to be explored!