The
Definitive
2009
Puglia
Harvest
Report


By
Mattie
John
Bamman



After
interviewing
11
wineries,
it’s
time.



In
the
sweaty
months
of
July
and

August,
as
half
of
Italy
descends
on

Puglia’s
white
sand
beaches,
the

grapes
cling
to
the
vines
in
a
stand‐
off
against
dehydration
and

parasites.
The
sunlight
in
Puglia,
the

primary
contributor
to
the
terroir
of

the
region,
is
both
the
winemakers’

greatest
friend
and
greatest
enemy.

Will
prices
rise
because
of
low

yields,
or
drop
due
to
low
demand?

Which
grape
varieties
thrived
and

will
likely
produce
good
wines,
and
which
failed?
These
are
the
most
important

questions
concerning
the
2009
harvest.



The
humid
heat
of
August
was
oppressive
as
I
walked
among
the
tree‐like
vines
of

Primitivo,
the
grape
that
shares
its
DNA
with
California’s
Zinfandel.
Most
of
the

winemakers
I
spoke
with
were
afraid
of
attacks
by
peronospora,
oidium,
and

Botrytis
cinerea,
powdery
molds
caused
by
high
moisture
levels
that
destroy

otherwise
promising
grapes.
In
the
south
of

Puglia
you
find
the
Salento
Peninsula,
a

strip
of
land
26
miles
across,
home
to

Puglia’s
best‐known
growing
region,

Manduria.
Attacks
from
parasites
are

usually
deflected
in
this
area
by
a
strong,

cool
wind
that
whips
off
the
Mediterranean

Sea
and
across
the
thin
peninsula,
but
in

2009
an
uncharacteristic
summer
rain
had

put
the
health
of
the
vines
in
jeopardy.
The

rain
lasted
from
June
20th‐July
7th
in
most

areas,
and
it
cooled
the
grapes
so
much
as

to
slow
their
maturation.
Rains
at
the
very

beginning
of
the
growing
season,
back
in

April,
had
affected
the
initial
germination
of

the
grapes,
and
fewer
flowers
had
turned

into
fruit.
The
sun,
which
usually
threatens

to
over‐ripen
the
grapes,
hadn’t
ripened

them
enough.







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www.bythetun.blogspot.com



The
harvest
began
one
week
later
than
in
2008
in
order
to
give
the
grapes
more

time
to
mature.
“The
harvest
this
year
is
marche
di
leopardo,”
reported
winemaker

Francesco
Mocavero
of
Mocavero
Winery,
“which
means
‘the
spots
of
the
leopard.’
It

is
a
local
saying
that
means
that
there
are
some
areas
yielding
interesting,
good‐
quality
grapes,
and
there
are
others
that
are
not.”









The
grapes
that
thrived
in
the
2009
growing
season
were
those
that
naturally

mature
the
fastest.
Primitivo,
the
region’s
most
important
grape
from
a
business

perspective,
is
named
for
its
ability
to
develop
early:
primo
means
“first”
in
Italian.

The
region’s
undervalued
white
grape
varieties
were
also
coming
through,

particularly
the
Chardonnay
and
the
native
varieties
Verdeca,
Malvasia
Bianca,
and

Fiano.
“Chardonnay,
Fiano,
and
Primitivo
are
having
success
because
of
good

phenolic
maturation,
which
was
not
affected
by

the
June
rain,”
says
enologist
Elio
Minoia
of
Valle

dell’Asso
Winery.
Sommelier
Angela
Venturi,

Castel
di
Salve’s
winery
guide,
reports
that
the


“Santi
Medici
Bianco”
(100%
Verdeca),
is
“very

balanced,
not
too
alcoholic,
fresh
and
crispy.”

Tenute
Rubino
reports
success
with
the

Vermentino
grape,
which
is
a
newly
planted

variety
on
the
Rubino
estate.
Likewise,
the

quality
of
the
Malvasia
Bianca
fruit—the
white

grape
most
commonly
planted
by
the
winery—is

high
because
of
even
maturation.



Strangely,
the
very
rains
that
threatened
to
ruin

the
2009
vintage
ultimately
turned
around
and

saved
it
.
.
.
in
spots,
at
least.
“The
reserve
waters





mattie.bamman@gmail.com

www.bythetun.blogspot.com



that
accumulated
during
the
autumn
period,
winter
period,
and
spring
period
have

allowed
the
vines
to
resist
well
in
the
hotter
months
of
June,
July,
and
August,”
says

enologist
Angelo
Maci
of
Due
Palme.
This
enhanced
the
phenolic
maturation—the

maturation
of
the
acids
in
the
grape
skins,
which
gives
wine
“good
tannins,”

resulting
in
positive
qualities
such
as
structure.
This
suggests
that
small,
select

productions
of
this
year’s
Primitivo
wines
will
be
good
for
aging.
Almost
every

winery
I
spoke
with
is
reporting
small
yields
of
excellent‐quality
Primitivo.





“The
first
svinature
(devattings)
of
the
Primitivo
di
Mandura
DOC
lead
us
to

anticipate
a
good
quality
of
future
wines
with
square
acids,”
reports
Racemi
Winery.

The
winery
is
located
in
Manduria,
an
area
with
particularly
rocky
soil,
and
it
looks

like
its
terroir
came
through
in
the
end.
“On
the
whole,
we
can
say
that
the
year,

which
had
hardly
promised
anything
good
.
.
.
demonstrated
the
ability
to
improve

in
very
little
time,
maintaining
faith
in
the
saying
small
but
good.”
I
anticipate
that

many
of
Puglia’s
Primitivo
wines,
especially
those
made
in
Manduria,
will
start

becoming
really
interesting
in
2014–2015.








Other
wineries
offer
contradictory
results,
with
Leone
de
Castris
and
Valle
dell’Asso

reporting
Primitivo
grapes
of
less
concentration.
As
enologist
Marco
Mascellani

nicely
summed
up,
“In
definition:
2008
wines
are
more
concentrated
and
austere;

2009
wines
are
less
concentrated
but
softer.”
I
expect

the
Primitivo
wines
from
the
southern
part
of
Salento

to
be
better
young.



 


At
the
end
of
harvest,
yields
were
way,
way
down

overall,
with
Due
Palme
reporting
a
reduction
of
50%

from
last
year’s
production.
Tenute
Rubino,
at
10%,

reports
the
least
reduction.
Most
wineries
report
that

yields
are
down
by
30%.
This
is
because
the
region’s





mattie.bamman@gmail.com

www.bythetun.blogspot.com



most
representative
and
widely
planted
grape,
Negroamaro,
is
slow
to
mature,
and

it
did
not
fare
well
in
2009.
Negroamaro
constitutes
at
least
70%
of
all
the

grapevines
in
Puglia,
and
it
is
usually
the
last
grape
harvested.
This
year,
hordes
of

low‐quality
Negroamaro
fruit
were
left
clinging
to
the
vines,
and
as
a
result,
most

winemakers
will
not
make
reserve
wines
in
the
2009
vintage.
Besides
reserve

wines,
low
yields
of
Negroamaro
primarily
affect
vino
sfuso,
the
region’s
un‐bottled

pump
wine,
which
fills
the
homes
of
the
locals.
Finally,
Negroamaro
is
the
primary

grape
used
to
make
Puglia’s
rosé
wines,
which
are
some
of
the
best
in
Italy.









The
question
I
posed
to
winemakers
was
whether
low
yields
would
result
in
higher

prices.
For
now,
it
looks
like
most
prices
will
stay
the
same.
This
is
fortunate,

considering
that
there
will
certainly
be
a
lower
production
of
rosés
this
year,
which

would
suggest
higher
prices.
Puglia
is
already

recognized
for
creating
inexpensive
wines.

Enologist
Mascellani
of
Leone
de
Castris,
a
winery

that
has
been
around
since
1665,
isn’t
afraid
to

bide
his
time.
The
most
important
thing
is
“not
to

be
too
anxious
to
age
the
wine—not
to
push
the

process
along—and
to
try
to
commercialize
the

wine
when
it
has
developed
further,
which
will

likely
be
slightly
earlier
than
other
years.”



I’d
like
to
focus
the
rest
of
the
report
on
Puglia’s

lesser‐known
grape
varieties:
Aglianico,

Ottavianello
(the
grape
better
known
as
Cinsault),

and
Susumaniello.
Winemaker
Gianni
Cantele
of





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www.bythetun.blogspot.com



Cantele
Winery
is
one
of
several
Puglian
winemakers
experimenting
with
Aglianico.

The
grape
is
capable
of
producing
excellent
wines,
as
proven
in
Basilicata
and

Campania.
Says
Cantele:




The
grapes
we
use
are
partially
sourced
in
Salento,
but
the
main
quantity

comes
from
northern
Puglia,
in
the
Foggia
area.
The
reputation
of
this

area
is
not
very
good
because
it
produces
many
average
wines.
However,

in
the
last
years
a
few
growers
are
changing
their
views
on
viticulture,

and
a
pleasant
surprise
will
come
from
that
area
soon.



The
main
difference
between
northern
and
southern
Puglia,
in
regard
to
growing

conditions,
is
altitude.
The
north
is
higher,
resulting
in
moister
soils.
Most
of
its

rivers
and
streams
are
above
ground,
whereas
the
southern
part
of
the
region
is
fed

by
underground
rivers
that
have
carved
into
the
limestone,
the
primary
component

of
the
area’s
soil.




The
last
two
grapes,
Ottavianello
and
Susumaniello,

have
an
ancient
history
in
the
Puglia
region,
and

perhaps
this
history
helped
them
adapt
to
this
year’s

difficult
weather.
With
the
exception
of
Chardonnay,

non‐native
and
international
grape
varieties
suffered

in
comparison
to
the
native
varieties.
This
year,
many

wines
made
with
foreign
varieties
will
not
be

produced,
including
Castel
di
Salve’s
“Il
Volo
di

Alessandro”
(100%
Sangiovese).



This
year’s
Ottavianello
is
reported
by
Botrugno

Winery,
one
of
the
leading
producers
of
the
grape,
to

have
normal‐sized
yields
of
impressive
quality.
This

is
likely
because
it
is
one
of
the
first
grapes
to
mature.

Susumaniello,
even
though
is
one
of
the
slowest

grapes
to
finish
maturing,
managed
to
have
a
good

phenolic
maturation.
Winemaker
Luigi
Rubino
reports
that
the
rains
in
June
and
July

naturally
protected
the
grapes
from
the
heat,
saving
the
winery
from
having
to
use

irrigation.



I
won’t
end
this
report
definitively.
This
is
one
wonderful
component
of
technology:

the
ability
to
continue
dialogues.
Feel
free
to
contact
me
with
questions
and

comments.
It
is
difficult
to
find
objective,
firsthand
accounts
of
this
region’s
wine

scene,
particularly
in
English.
I
am
publishing
this
report
just
a
few
days
before
the

beginning
of
Vinitaly,
the
largest
wine

event
in
the
world,
in
order
to
give

distributors,
sommeliers,
and
wine

writers
a
sampling
of
firsthand
accounts






mattie.bamman@gmail.com

www.bythetun.blogspot.com



of
the
2009
growing
season
in
Puglia.
I’m
interested
in
hearing
your
impressions
of

Puglia’s
wines,
particularly
how
all
of
these
environmental
factors
taste
out
of
the

bottle.



I
would
like
to
thank
the
winemakers,
enologists,
and
winery
representatives
who

gave
me
their
time
as
well
as
the
information
that
helped
me
to
write
this
report:



Winemaker
Massimiliano
Apollonio,
Apollonio

Winemaker
Gianni
Cantele,
Cantele


Sommelier
and
Winery
Guide
Angela
Venturi,
Castel
di
Salve


Enologist
Angelo
Maci,
Due
Palme


Enologist
Sergio
Botrugno,
Botrugno


Enologist
Marco
Mascellani
and
Commercial
Director
Salvatore
Ria,
Leone
de
Castris


Winemakers
Francesco
and
Marco
Mocavero,
Mocavero

Winemaker
Piero
Ribezzo,
Pirro
Varone


Winemaker
Gregory
Perrucci,
Racemi

Winemaker
Luigi
Rubino,
Tenute
Rubino

Enologist
Elio
Minoia
and
Commercial
Director
Ezio
D’Oria,
Valle
dell’Asso








mattie.bamman@gmail.com

www.bythetun.blogspot.com