tasting in a cellar!

Radici del Sud is the unique festival focused on wines from southern Italy, only!

A crucial event which brings together Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, Calabria and Sicily regions to show their excellences to italian and international wine experts.

Both journalists and buyers, coming from all over the world, are involved as I explained in the previous article.

Beyond the press tour and the B2B meetings between producers and buyers, a wine competition is foreseen to evaluate the wines produced from native grapes.

press tour in puglia region

Showing the local landscape and, above all, the passion which animates local producers to wine experts, represents the most effective promotion! Hosting a wine tasting in a windy and typical apulian town is much more charming than sending a technical sheet which “says”: “Salento area (in southern Puglia) is very windy”!

The results of the competition become only a (useful) fun to discover the trend of the local production.

I had the pleasure to be involved in the tasting process, as group 2 I have tasted the flights which included the

apulian buildings

following varieties: the whites Fiano and Greco, Rosati from the south of Italy,  the reds Gaglioppo, Aglianico, Aglianico del Vulture and Primitivo; please find here my general impressions:

• very high the quality level of the whites Greco and Fiano; even better the performance of Fiano which has demonstrated to be one of the most elegant italian white wines!
• rosè wines from Puglia are still the top ones but not only the notorious pink wines made of Negroamaro but also the latest ones made of Bombino nero and even by  Susumaniello: more
  

  wine tasting in puglia region

  delicate but absolutely refined;

• the red Aglianico del Vulture has demonstrated -once again- to be very pleasant and round much earlier than Aglianico from Campania region or other production areas (see next point);
• Aglianico needs time! If you open it at the right time it will surprise you otherwise it will get nervous!
• Primitivo style (typical of Puglia region) has been another interesting surprise: it used to be “jammy”, with much alcool and high residual sugar but it is now becoming fresh and more drinkable;
• I have been impressed by the regional Woman of Wine Association: close and dynamic!
  

  cirò boys from calabria

• Last but not least, I always find the story of the Cirò Boys (who works with Gaglioppo grape in Calabria region) romantic and effective: they focus on the grape growing and got together in promoting their land: even on this occasion they have seduced the wine experts thanks to the quality of their wines as well as their natural passion!

Thanks to Radici’s staff for such an opportunity which is making the world tour!