Puglia, once only known for its durum wheat and organic vegetable production, is home to the Primitivo (Zinfandel) grape which is often used to make appassimeno style red wines, so popular with today's consumers of Italian wines. These wines are full-bodied with soft, jammy, berry fruits and spicy cinnamon & tobacco flavours. Perfect for pasta dishes and summer barbeques. Look out, too, for the local Negroamaro reds.
Basilicata offers powerful, tannic reds from the Aglianico grape and Calabria has its local Gaglioppo.
Whites from the Campania region (around Naples) include those made from native varieties Greco, Fiano and Falanghina, offering fresh, dry wines for everyday drinking with both seafood and pasta dishes.
The southern islands of Sicily and Sardinia offer a huge range of wine styles with the rich and fruity reds from Nero d'Avola being very popular and the unique, volcanic Etna wines offering thrilling, mineral-driven character from Nerello Mascalese (reds) and Carricante (whites). Sicilian Grillo whites, once only used for fortified Marsala, are now making tropical-fruit-laden whites of increasing quality and complexity. In Sardinia, look out for the gamey, herbal and black-fruited reds from Carignano and Cannonau (Grenache).
