Native vines and wines produced by Conti Zecca in Puglia Italy

The introduction of the grapevine in Puglia goes up to ancient times; it was probably present before the Greek colonization, in the VIII b.C.

During the period of the Roman Empire, the production and the commerce of Apulian wine were particularly lively and the wines of Puglia were appreciated in Rome.
With the construction of the port of Brindisi, in the 244 a.C., the commerce of Apulian wines had a flourishing period and Puglia, during the Roman period, was nicknamed the "wine cellar of Italy" for the great quantities of wine produced (around the third part of the national annual production).
With the fall of the Roman Empire, the production of wine in Puglia had a period of crisis.

In the Middle Ages great quantities of wine were produced. Federick II, realizing the importance of the wine-growing for the Apulian region, imported thousand of grapevines, such as Fiano and Aglianico, and planted them in the area of Castel del Monte.

During the Renaissance the wines of Puglia were apprecciated in other areas of Italy and in France and they were drunk by the noble courts.

At the end of 1800, when the vine-louse damaged the vineyards of the North Italy and Europe, the Apulian wines had a period of large growth. They were exported in France, Germany and Austria, where the wine production was not enough to satisfy the local demands.
However in 1919 the vine-louse arrived in Puglia, stopping the notable increase of the last times: in the course of 5 years, the production on wine in Puglia went down from 12 million hectoliters to 2 million.

In the following years, when a resumption of the Apulian oenology was looking for, the Apulian wine makers exclusively concentred themselves on the production of cut wines, destined to give body and colour to the wine production of other areas of Italy and Europe.

After the Second World War some tenacius and capable Apulian wine makers, among them Conti Zecca, began choosing quality wines to quantity. However it was only at the beginning of the Nineties that they began having a greater awareness of the Apulian oenolocical potentialities.

Therefore wine always constitutes an important economic resource for Puglia and it is produced anywhere in this region.

Today Apulian wines are among the most apprecciated wines of Italy.

The tipycal wines of Puglia are red and rosè wines. However interesting white wines are produced in this area, also from native vines. The most important white berry grapes in Puglia are: Malvasia Bianca, Fiano, Moscato Bianco, Bombino Bianco and Vermentino. Unusual is the case of the Chardonnay: it haven't historical bonds with Puglia, however it is one of the most diffused white grapes of the region.
Among the red berry grapes, the most important in Puglia are: Negroamaro, Primitivo, Uva di Troia, Malvasia Nera, Aglianico, Montepulciano, Sangiovese and Susumaniello. Then there are also the international grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Among the Apulian wines, the most famous are the wines of Salento. They are considered, in fact, among the best wines in Italy. In Salento there is an high concentration of territories in which DOC wines are produced.
Conti Zecca Agricultural farm produces the red wine DOC Salice Salentino Cantalupi, the white wine DOC Salice Salentino Cantalupi Bianco and the red wine DOC Leverano.