Some of the lesser known and affordable wine gems of Italy can be found on the scenic heel and spur of Southern Italy’s boot– Puglia. Across from Greece and almost surrounded by the sea (the Adriatic Ocean and the Ionian Sea), the slender heel offers oceanic views galore from its limestone based calcarious hills and bluffs as well as centuries-old farms providing fresh produce plus whitewashed towns with restaurants featuring regional specialties like ear shaped orrecchiette pasta, conical roofed stone structures, and shops to explore. From vineyards and citrus orchards to 90-million-year-old caves of Castellana to castles and other ancient ruins to fresh cheeses like ricotta and burratta to go with the plentiful red, white, and rosati wines there’s plenty to see, do, and taste whether in person, virtually, or by the glass and the fork at home. 

If someone knows about Puglia in the US, it may be for Primitivo and brightly colored rosati (read what we wrote about Rosati here following ZOOM interviews with winemaking families). We were thrilled to recieve sample wines from organic Domus Hortae, a small family run estate with wines recently imported to the US by Verovino.

Domus Hortae, Organic Winery, Puglia, Italy

Family traditions: indigenous, local grapes grown organically.  According to the Verovino website, “The Fioretti family have been vignerons, cultivating their vineyards in Orto Nova, in northern Puglia since 1788.” They make wine from native local varieties grown organically on a prehistoric seabed making soils part calcareous, sub-alkaline and stone which “contribute to making structured yet approachable wines.” All of these wines offer a BIG BANG for your BUCK! 

Domus Hortae Puglia IGT Wines

• Domus Hortae “Kimere” Bombino Bianco
• Domus Hortae “Ti Esti Minutolo” Fiano
• 2021 Domus Hortae “Kia Ros” Nero di Troia Rosato
• Domus Hortae “Kalinero” Nero di Troia

Sue researched  the traditional family cuisine of Puglia, and suggested this: 

Puglia Inspired Menu

• Taralle (those ubiquitous crackers found all over Italy when you order a cocktail– kind of like chips and salsa in the US– and Sue made some for us adapting this recipe)
• Cheeseboard featuring La Tur and green olives (green olives are also often served with cocktails in Italy)
• Burrata Beet Salad (fresh cheese like ricotta and burrata are specialties of the region)
• Orrecchiette with Broccoli Rabe (the anchovy infused pasta of Puglia; recipe here)
• Citrus and Rosemary Roasted Smoked Chicken 

Domus Hortae “Kimere” Bombino Bianco

ABV: 12.5%
SRP: $20
Grapes: Bombino Bianco
Importer:  VeroVino 
sample for review

Story: The name ‘Kimere’ means dream. Made from Bombino Bianco, it’s a fun alternative to Pinot Grigio. This one is fermented and aged in stainless steel keeping it very crisp and bright!

Appearance:  Pale yellow, very clear, platinum rim 

Aroma: Lemon, Meyer lemon, lime, citrus flowers, fennel, fennel pollen, meadow, slate

Palate: Fennel, fennel pollen, tart Eureka lemon, big acidity liveliness, brightness, clean fresh stone finish

Pairing: The brined olives and the wine worked well together which is why we  tried also oysters with this wine (yes, my fridge is the kind where we do usually have fresh local oysters!)

The oyster and the wine compliment each other so nicely, the creamy umami and this bright acidic wine work so well together, making it by far one of the best pairings of the evening.

The LaTur brings out a creamy sweetness in the wine that is not there without food. The wine softens some of the tanginess in this three milk cheese. The wine works with the salad pairing well with the spicy arugula and the creamy burrata. The pasta dish also responded well to the wine, and  the smoked citrus chicken brings out a surprising sweet fruitiness in the wine while cutting briskly through the rich flavors.

2021 Domus Hortae “Ti Esti Minutolo” Puglia IGT

ABV: 13%
SRP: $20
Grapes: Fiano Minutolo
Importer:  VeroVino 
sample for review

Story: Remember Puglia is just across from Greece? In the local Greek dialect “Ti estì” means ‘what is this?’ This is a monovarietal made from the Minutolo grape, a VERY aromatic white grape grown here since 1200. 

Appearance:  Pale yellow, daffodil, but very pale and clear, platinum rim. 

Aroma: So floral, spicy rose, spicy sweet pea, lilac, white ginger, I want this as a perfume, a beautiful bouquet of fresh cut flowers, such a lovely surprise to put your nose in a glass and get such a beautiful bouquet. 

Palate: White flower, gardenia, so much flower you can taste the perfume, rosewater, oxalis, bitter finish, bitter orange oil, with all of these florals you would think this was going to be a sweet wine, but it is not sweet at all. Very exotic flavors of tropical fruits. Sue wanted food with this wine to bounce off of the intense flavors. For me, I could hang out at the beach with this wine and be just fine without anything to eat. 

Pairing: Olives and this wine, yum yum, the salinity and the creaminess of the olives marries and enhances the rose water and other flavors in the wine. It also brings forth a crunchy texture in the olives.  The creamy LaTur and this wine are wonderful together. This wine creates a very different culinary experience. This wine is still quite perfumey even with food. The intense florals get enhanced with the flavors in. the food. The beets become sweeter with the wine and the creamy buratta melts in your mouth and then are enhanced and changed with this unusually floral in the wine. The flavors take you on a roller coaster ride of pure pleasure. The pasta dish is a bit too sharp, acidic, saline, bitter for this wine. It needs the creamy burrata to tame the bitter finish in the wine and enhance those wonderful florals. 

The rich smoked citrus chicken dark meat compliments the intense florals and enhances the tropical fruits in the wine while bringing out the rosemary in the chicken. Fantastic pairing! 

 

2021 Domus Hortae “Kia Ros” Nero di Troia Rosato Wine, Puglia IGT

ABV: 12.5
SRP: $20
Grapes: Nero di Troia
Importer:  VeroVino 
sample for review

Story: Kia Ros means ‘just in time.’  Made from 100% Nero di Troia grapes, it’s fermented and aged in stainless steel. 

Appearance:  Rose gold, clear platinum rim, very clear in appearance, very pale in color

Aroma: Very subtle, dried roses, dried apple, golden or red delicious, chamomile, green tea, wild fresh strawberry, cinnamon candies, 

Palate: Fresh strawberry, nectarine, Meyer lemon, tart acidity, mouthwatering, very refreshing, clean finish, pleasantly tart, 

Pairing: The LaTur and the wine hit each other off so nicely. You taste the creaminess and layered flavors in the cheese. The olives were also quite nice with the wine. The salty brine of the olives enhances the fruit and florals in the wine. Perfect with the burrata salad loving the creamy rich cheese and the earthy sweet beets. The pasta was very nice with the wine, the bitterness of the broccoli rapini works so well. The wine becomes more flavorful because of the bitterness and salinity of the dish.  I wanted to see it with some octopus. Smoked meats and rosato is a match made in heaven for my palate, and this work so well by refreshing the palate with the wine cutting through the rich chicken.

2019 Domus Hortae “Kalinero” Nero di Troia, Puglia IGT

ABV: 14%
SRP: $20
Grapes: Nero di Troia
Importer:  VeroVino 
sample for review

Story: “Kalinero” means ‘cheers’ in Greek, and it’s a salutation and a toast. Made from 100% Nero di Troia grapes, the grapes are fermented and aged in steel.

Appearance:  Very pretty color, light Hughes, very translucent,  raspberry, plum, pale raspberry rim  

Aroma: Baking spices, violets, roses, carnations, spicy, pepper, raspberry, tart cherry, red vines licorice, there may be a bit of sulphuric funk right out to the bottle, but after swirling it and letting it breathe for just a minute in the glass it blows away quickly. There is nothing off putting though. 

Palate: Tart, cranberry, raspberry, more raspberry up front and cranberry on the finish, such unexpected tannins that it made my teeth hurt and tannins, mouthwatering, clean cranberry finish. I wanted some food to help manage the tannins on this wine, but Sue was happy to sip without food on this wine. The salad accuentates the texture of the wine. The beets are earthy and sweet without being sugar sweet, but it brings out a nice sweet tart quality in the wine and tames the tannins. 

Pairing: The wine loved the red pepper flakes in the Taralli crackers, a bit of cracker and some cheese tames the tannins in the wine perfectly, great with the salty rich olives bringing out a sweetness in the wine. Food definitely changes the characteristic of the wine. Don’t be afraid of pairing the right red wine with chicken or seafood like salmon. Smoked meats like this smoked chicken definitely work well with the bright fruit of this wine. 

Italian Food, Wine, Travel Group Share Puglia! #ItalianFWT

NO CHAT SCHEDULED. Cheers! 

• Camilla at Culinary Cam shares “Killer Pairing: Spaghetti all’Assassina + A Negroamaro from Brindisi”
• Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog shares “An Unconventional Style of Primitivo – 2020 Produttori Di Manduria Electric Bee Primitivo”
• Susannah from Avvinare tells us about “Primitivo from Gioia del Colle, A Revelation”
• Jennifer at Vino Travels Italy discusses “A Rare Puglian Grape – Susumaniello”
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “A Family Tradition: Domus Hortae’s organic wines from the heel of Italy”
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Octopus with Polenta and a Rosato from Puglia inspired by The Food Club”
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles reveals “Salice Salentino from Puglia with Ciceri e tria”
• Host Lynn at Savor the Harvest discusses “Negroamaro – Three Styles from Puglia + Food Pairings”
• Katarina at Grape Vine Adventures offers “Borgo Turrito Focuses on Nero di Troia in Foggia in Puglia”