Wine tourism: walking through the most cultivated vineyards of Puglia
12 June 2020
It was recognized for the second time as the most beautiful region in the world a few days ago: Puglia is once again making headlines internationally. According to National Geographic, Lonely Planet, and the New York Times, the reasons for this recognition, beyond its natural beauty and the millennia-old history of its villages, are its unique characteristics and gastronomy.
June 2020: mark this date because it will go down in history for our region, which already celebrated recognition in 2014 as part of the “Best value travel destination in the world” ranking by National Geographic.
There are five Unesco sites in Puglia recognized as world heritage: Castel del Monte, listed in 1996; The Trulli of Alberobello, listed in 1996; the Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo, listed in 2011; the “Foresta Umbra” Natural Reserve, listed in 2017; Castel Fiorentino in Torremaggiore, listed in 2017. But alongside these “monumental” reasons for timeless tourist attraction, Puglia offers other equally valid ones: food and wine.
A great reason to visit Puglia and travel from north to south is to discover its unique food and wine offerings. Roam among its native vineyards and taste the best Puglian wines directly in the wineries’ “guest rooms,” or even in the vineyard.
In recent decades, since 1999, the wine routes have led to Italy and thus to Puglia. Many movements dedicated to this niche of tourism have emerged: the most famous is certainly the Mtv, wine tourism movement, which has its Puglian section dedicated to the region’s vineyards and its producers, and boasts among its members the Cantina di Ruvo di Puglia. A fundamental requirement: having the culture of wine tourism hospitality, capable of infecting even the most inexperienced tourist with the excitement of making wine in Puglia.
There are eleven itineraries established by the Movement: Treasures of Daunia, Welcoming Capitanata, The Lands of Frederick, From the Adriatic to Castel del Monte, The Karstic Murgia and the Itria Valley, The Estates of Primitivo, Let’s Make a Toast, In the Negroamaro Park, In the Heart of the Baroque, Flavors of the Adriatic, The Scents of the Ionian. Eleven itineraries narrated through the wineries that open their doors and promoted by the Mtv in events and manifestations, but many others are left to the free interpretation of the more “creative” wine tourist. But let’s see what the unmissable stop at the Cantina di Ruvo di Puglia and the tasting of Crifo wines includes.
We are talking about 60 years of history of a cooperative of winemakers who cultivate the limestone soil surrounding Castel del Monte, between the provinces of Bari and Barletta-Andria-Trani. Dominating this wine route area are Nero di Troia to the north and Moscato Reale a few kilometers further south, on the sandy shores of Trani.
The Cantina di Ruvo di Puglia is part of the wine tourism movement and participates in its most interesting seasonal events because it embraces the overall cultural intent. But it opens its winery doors to tourists and wine lovers at any time of the year.
After visiting the winery, the area offers much more, and you can admire the center of the town of Ruvo, rich in charm and culture, and the surrounding woods with downy oak trees and the Jatta National Museum, dedicated to Magna Graecia, which houses the famous Talos vase, an Attic crater from the 5th century BC depicting the killing of the giant of the same name by the Argonauts.
The largest area of the Castel del Monte DOC, one of the most renowned in the region, tells not only of history but also of a wide range of grape varieties and extraordinary wines: whites from Bombino Bianco, Pampanuto, and Chardonnay grapes; reds from Nero di Troia, Aglianico, and Montepulciano; rosés from Bombino Nero.
