The Heart of Puglia

THE HEART OF PUGLIA Castel del Monte Doc wines C ONSORZI O DI TUTELA VINI DOC CASTEL DEL MONTE “If goodness, moderation, virtue, wealth, sciences, defended this area as few nobility could prevent death, Federico, would do in the future. Between history who lies here, would not have died”. and legend, the figure of Frederick II of This is how the famous historical and Swabia embodies the endless cultural, medieval Florentine chronicler Giovanni architectural, scientific and agricultural Villani describes Frederick II of Swabia, paternity of the “heart of Puglia” that known at that time as “Stupor mundi”, we want to tell. Barletta, the castle the astonishment of the world, and The Puglia Sveva, whose features were symbol of the Puglia Sveva which now tracked by the most enlightened mon- Puglia Sveva is a territorial brand created by the Consortium for the protection of the Castel del Monte DOC wines and the LEGEND OF PUGLIA Terra di Bari PDO Oil, with the support of the Ministry of agricultural, food and forestry policies, able to tell and promote collects in this absolute identity brand. arch of the Middle Ages: a man, as poet the excellence of the “heart of Puglia”. Frederick II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Ugo Foscolo reminds us, “aspired to Starting with the wine and the extra virgin Empire from 1220 to 1250, lived and ex- unite Italy under one prince, one form of olive oil, and then involving all the other periences these places; he loved them, government and one single language; actors in a territory with ancient traditions, he built houses and castles, including and to pass it to his successors as a pow- Puglia Sveva is the symbol of a unique the enigmatic and severe Castel del erful reign among the monarchies of environment in Italy: a true oasis of culture, Monte (Unesco World Heritage Site Europe”. A revolutionary desire for unity serenity and pleasure. since 1996), kept falcons for hunting, and freedom that would have taken the scanned the sky to interrogate the stars, first steps right from his cherished land, studied algebra, medicine and natural the Puglia Sveva. PUGLIA SVEVA Farms, wineries, oil mills, dairy factories, pottery workshops, museums and historic towns, on the seaside or at the heart of Canne della Battaglia the Murge area, draw the weft and warp of one of the most authentic and original environment of the region. A clear and pure light illuminates the landscape, nourishing the body and soul of those who are even just passing by, and the pleasure of the senses is the only way to keep track of time. Puglia Sveva is the promise of uniqueness, quality, tradition and discovery of the essence of the “heart of Puglia” which, in a not too distant past, was for the entire West a popular choice for the “Wonder of the World”. Castel del Monte THE DISCOVERY OF PUGLIA Around Castel del Monte The phenomenon of karst The karst in Puglia is a geological phenomenon which affects much of the region but its most visible expression lies right in the Murge, influ- encing the composition and the adaptation of crops. Limestones, crevices, caves, cavities and From the sea to the High Murgia, the In the High Murgia, then, the dominant furrows, called “lame” or “gravine”, are an integral ancient plateau that forms the back- color is the dazzling white of the stones part of this landscape which, however, does not bone of most of the region, this area that burst from the inside of a land that show a total homogeneity, as it divides into three is a succession of colors. seems a casket of the remains of the geological sub-zones: the High, the Low and the It starts from the blue and the light fossil giant that geological sciences Coastal Murge. blue, where the line between sky and call Murgia karst. water is blurred and shimmering, and The Puglia Sveva soil is very ancient, then proceeds towards the ocher soil calcareous and rocky; the surface wa- and white stone of Trani, a local tufa ter is almost totally absent, although which the cathedral of the coastal town abundant in the deeper crevices of was built with. the rock of this ancient underground. In the back country then comes the The climate in winter is characterized The terroir green, not only the one of the olive by a marked continentality in inland Trani, the rose window trees and vines, but also the one of areas, which becomes milder and more of the Cathedral the woods in which cohabit trees like Mediterranean descending towards the Macedonian oak, the downy oak, the sea. Summers are hot, dry, some- the holm oak, the hackberry, the wild times very arid, with sporadic rainfall olive and the mastic. but good daily temperature ranges, especially in the higher inland areas. Minervino Murge Vineyards, olive groves, orchards and vegetable gardens dot the Puglia Sveva, which gets colored here and there by farms, villages, wineries, oil mills and dairy factories. There are many places to live and dis- Alberobello cover, from Trani to Gravina di Puglia, Barletta, Andria, Ruvo di Puglia, famous for the Jatta National Archeologic Mu- The Puglia Sveva is an unrivaled land full seum, Bitonto, Acquaviva delle Fonti, Alberobello with its trulli houses pro- of contrasts, a place of unique experiences tected by UNESCO, Gioia del Colle, Altamura, capital of the bread, and Bari and, in every season, a trip that means itself, the capital of history, gastronomy discovery, adventure, warmth, excitement, and one of the most fascinating cross- roads of peoples and cultures in Italy. wonder and endless pleasure. THE ENCHANTMENT OF PUGLIA Altamura Dominating the whole territory, right in the heart of this area, the Alta Murgia National Park, established in 2004 and nowadays the largest rural park in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. Charming and inhospitable at the same time, this environment represents, step by step, the work of adaptation of peo- ple to a habitat among the most severe of the Italian peninsula. Dry stone walls, “casedde”, “trulli” and “jazzi” for the housing of sheep mark an almost Trani, Cathedral view indefinite space, inflexible, hard and Alta Murgia National Park sometimes with a lunar appearance. Barletta Trani to n fa O me Andria iu BARI thousand million F 3,8 Canosa di Puglia 199 thousand Corato DOC bottles 258 Bitonto DOCG bottles, DOCG bottles, Terlizzi Castel del Monte Bombino Nero produced Nero di Troia Riserva Palo del colle Minervino Murge Ruvo di Puglia Binetto Torritto 15 15 bottler winemaker members members 396 thousand DOCG bottles, Rosso Riserva Consortium for the protection of the Castel del Monte DOC wines. Production area. The Consortium for the protection An extraordinary terroir, an incredible of the Castel del Monte DOC wines story and the presence of a unique aims to promote the territory of the grape variety such as the Nero di Troia, Puglia Sveva and especially the wines alongside the extra virgin olive oil and produced there. many local products, gave way to a Started in 1998, based in Corato, the redevelopment process which in less consortium brings together some 800 than two decades has given a whole THE TASTE OF PUGLIA winegrowers of the area and almost all new face to the territory. the wineries. Besides the promotion WINERIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONSORTIUM FOR activity, there are other jobs - more tech- The Consortium is also the first in South- THE PROTECTION OF THE CASTEL DEL MONTE DOC nical and of monitoring traits – which ern Italy to propose to its members a WINES ARE: guarantee an optimal wine making strict plan of quality controls, empha- TENUTA CEFALICCHIO, OGNISSOLE production from a qualitative point of sizing from the start a leading role in TOR DE’ FALCHI OPIFICIUM ARTEVINO MIRVITA view, and strongly linked to the territory. the increase of the level of the wines of MASSERIA FARAONA the appellation and in their promotion, TORMARESCA From the awareness of the infinite op- both in Italy and in the world. TORRESANTA portunities of this “heart of Puglia”, in the TORREVENTO nineties some pioneer producers decid- ed to team up and lay the foundations GRIFO for a strong and effective instrument for RIVERA the territorial development. SANTA LUCIA Being certain to have in their hands, and TERRA MAIORUM under their feet, a unique land and a CONTE SPAGNOLETTI ZEULI wine tradition irreproducible elsewhere, VIGNUOLO they started an association whose main GIANCARLO CECI purpose was to promote – and the, to TENUTA COCEVOLA let the world know about - the wines CARPENTIERE of that land we now call Puglia Sveva. Bombino nero. Vigorous and produc- tive, the Bombino Nero was once known The area of the DOC and of the three by the names Buonvino, for the large DOCG of Castel del Monte, Castel del production capacity, and Bambino, Monte Nero di Troia Riserva, Castel del for a form of the bunch that could be Monte Riserva and Castel del Monte described as “squat” on itself. A late Bombino Nero, covers an area that ripening preserves acidity and fragranc- goes from Minervino Murge to Andria, es and is perhaps the only red grape including Binetto, Canosa di Puglia, variety vinified exclusively to produce Corato, Trani, Ruvo di Puglia, Terlizzi, rosé wines, as demonstrated by the Bitonto, Palo del Colle and Toritto, right DOCG Castel del Monte Bombino Organoleptic characteristics in the middle of the region. Nero di Troia Nero, which gives slender, immediate, Bombino bianco: almond, anise seeds, apricot, fragrant, fruity and fresh wines. It is ideal tropical and yellow-fleshed fruit with the typical of meat and vegetables THE ESSENCE OF PUGLIA dishes of the countryside, but also with the mains of coastal fish.

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