Fascinating first day as we headed west from Ostuni towards the old town of Noci – famous for its nuts. Our first stop was Cantine Bersanto – established in the 1960’s and now run by the second generation of the family. Traditional cellars, plenty of old oak barrels but clearly with an eye on clean, fresh winemaking style as evidenced by plenty of stainless steel. We tasted a very quaffable Charmat method fizz made from Primitivo, an unusual Malvasia from the 2010 vintage – 48 hours skin contact and 6 months barrique ageing has resulted in a spicy, vanilla laden style of wine – and a very juicy Primitivo/Montepulciano blend.
In contrast, our second visit was to a much newer estate – Cantine Polvanera in Gioia del Colle. The owners daughter Alice hosted our visit and explained their simple philosophy – no oak! In fact no barrels at all. This was a big surprise given the nature of the reds in this region. However, Puglia has surprised everyone from day one and the wines were delicious. Sparkling rosato, roato, an amazing white made from the indigenous Minutolo grape, some serious Primitivo and a delightfully fresh, sweet Moscato to end. Delicious wines – very forward thinking estate.