📍 Salento
A peninsula in southern Apulia, the realm of Negroamaro.
Salento is a peninsula at the very south of Apulia, the "heel" of the Italian boot. It covers the whole province of Lecce, almost all of the province of Brindisi (except a few towns in the north) and the south-eastern part of the province of Taranto. It is washed by the Adriatic and Ionian seas on two sides, and summers are hot and dry. Salento is part of Apulia.
This is the kingdom of the red grape Negroamaro. It gives dark, rich reds and juicy rosés. Beside it grows Primitivo, the same variety as California's Zinfandel; it is used for Primitivo di Manduria, a full-bodied red, and a sweet version also exists.
Salento has many small appellations: Salice Salentino, Copertino, Alezio, Leverano, Matino, Nardò, Squinzano, Brindisi, Galatina and Lizzano. All of them mostly make red and rosé wines, with a little white. The general name "Salento" is used for simpler wines from the whole area.
Each appellation differs slightly in soils and in closeness to the sea, but the grapes remain the same. Salento is not an administrative but a cultural and historical region; it is described as a sub-peninsula of the Italian peninsula.
How it connects to Wine
📍 Salento ← grows in ← 🍇 Negroamaro → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 📍 Apulia
- Related to
- Italy: 📜 Salice Salentino, 📜 Primitivo di Manduria, 📜 Copertino, 📜 Lizzano, 📜 Nardò, 📜 Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale, 📜 Alezio, 📜 Leverano, 📜 Matino, 📜 Negroamaro di Terra d'Otranto
🍷 Still wine - Grapes
- 🍇 Negroamaro
- Main grapes
- 🍇 Negroamaro
- Wines
- 🍷 Red wine, 🍷 White wine, 🍷 Rosé
Frequently asked questions
Where is Salento?
In the south of Apulia, on the "heel" of Italy; it covers the province of Lecce, most of Brindisi and the south-east of Taranto.
Which grapes grow in Salento?
Mainly Negroamaro and Primitivo; Primitivo is genetically the same as California's Zinfandel.
What wines are made in Salento?
Red, rosé and a little white wine under appellations such as Salice Salentino, Copertino and Primitivo di Manduria.
What to read next
- 📜 Lizzano — Wines from around Lizzano in the province of Taranto, mainly from Negroamaro.
- 🍷 Red wine — Wine from dark grapes that ferments with the skins and takes its colour from them.
- 🍷 Still wine — Wine without noticeable bubbles: EU category 1, at least 8.5–9 % actual alcohol and no more than 15 % total; red, white, rosé or orange.
- 📜 Negroamaro di Terra d'Otranto — Italian DOC for red and rosé wines from Negroamaro in the provinces of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto.
- 📜 Terra d'Otranto — An Italian DOC for white, rosé and red wines from the provinces of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto in Puglia.
Similar
📍 Murgia · 📜 Colline Joniche Tarantine · 📜 Tarantino · 📜 Barletta · 📜 Daunia · 📜 Leverano
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.
What it includes
Sources
- Ministero dell'agricoltura (MASAF)
- eAmbrosia – EU geographical indications register
- eAmbrosia – EU geographical indications register