Oltrepò Pavese, this region is shaped like a cluster of grapes and is an area with a particular vocation for vine cultivation. The renown Oltrepo' Pavese, a geographical region in the southern part of Lombardy, whose reputation has crossed national borders and has become synonymous of great wines.
Thanks to the characteristics of its soil and climate, both of which are particularly suited to wine production, the Oltrepò Pavese is the southern-most largest are of the Province of Pavia, reaching out to the mountains and cutting a wedge between Alessandria a Piacenza.
The diversified nature of this territory allows for the production of numerous varieties of wines whose characteristics are the fruit of the area's unique pedoclimate. The low and mid-hill soil is particularly suited to the cultivation of red grapes, while the higher hillsides are more suited to white grape varieties, which benefit from the sudden changes in temperature between night and day during the grape maturation period, and from the lesser exposure to sunlight, which yields more intense and long-lasting aromas.
The main grape varieties cultivated in this area are Croatina (which gives Bonarda wine), Barbera and Pinot Nero. Based on the altitude of cultivation, the exposure to sunlight, the soil and the cultivation techniques used, these varieties may be vinified into fruity and sparkling wines or still and full-bodied red wines. The Pinot Nero grape, a skilled quick-change artist, may yield still, red wines after long ageing, bubbly and zesty white wines, flowery sparkling Italian wines produced using the Martinotti method, or more evolved and complex sparkling wines produced using the classic method.
As further proof of the importance of the soil, based on the origins and type of assemblage, we may obtain two different wines that are poles apart: the Buttafuoco and the Sangue di Giuda. Both are made using Croatina, Barbera and Uva Rara grapes; nonetheless, the first is a firmly structured wine that can bear years of ageing, while the second is a fragrant wine, sweet and slightly sparkling, with an intense bouquet of red fruits that seduces the nose of connoisseurs and is the perfect choice to accompany desserts.
Such a vast territory also hosts a renown international grape variety: the Cabernet Sauvignon which, once vinified and aged, if desired, in wood containers, may yield grand wines in which the typical green peppers and pepper aroma blends with the fragrance of red fruits and spices.
The main varieties of white grape varieties are the Riesling Italico, Muller Thurgau, Chardonnay and Moscato varieties, which may be adapted to young and fresh, lightly sparkling wines, as well as to still white wines to be drunk young or even white wines matured in casks, which require ageing; Moscato may yield both sweet sparkling wines and fruity raisin wines (passito).

Apulia, a land of wines and olive oil, a land rich in traditions and folklore, a rocky and hostile land which, after undying loving care has become an inexhaustible fount of life and sustenance for its people. Since the times of the ancient Romans, grapes have symbolised abundance and prosperity; in modern times they symbolise the customs and traditions of grape gathering, which are fully expressed in the grape-harvesting ritual.
Travelling along the roads of Apulia during the month of September offers an extraordinary sight: boundless fields of rows upon rows of shiny grape bunches; full and bursting, they await grape-harvesting, considered an almost sacred ritual in the farming traditions of this region. The love with which vine growers and wine producers tend their crops all year round in the end yields this marvellous nectar which, in all its variegated nuances that go from ruby red to straw yellow, becomes the symbol for the multifaceted personality of this land.
In Apulia, wine embraces almost the entire region. Clearly, considering the vast size of the territory, the same vine species will yield different wines based on the cultivation and environmental conditions. For the sake of simplicity, we may subdivide the region into 3 main areas: northern Apulia, central Apulia and the Salento region.
Northern Apulia is the area where the Sangiovese, Trebbiano, Lambrusco, Primitivo, Uva di Troia, Malvasia Bianca, Bombino Bianco, Pampanuto Bianco and Moscato di Trani varieties are typically grown.
These varieties may yield:
Sangiovese and Trebbiano wines, classic wines well-paired with the entire meal, elegant and fragrant;
Lambrusco, a vivid ruby red colour with violet hues, slightly sparkling and sweet, this wine may be enjoyed on any occasion;
the Primitivo, richly scented and well-structured.
In central Apulia, we may find various white grape varieties such as Chardonnay, which yields a white wine with velvety, fruity overtones that are reminiscent of the sea and the Mediterranean underbrush; Verdeca and Bianco d'Alessano. These latter vines combined are 95% of the content of Martina and Locorotondo wines, an excellent fruity white wine with a banana and pineapple aroma that is smooth and velvety to the mouth.
Red grape varieties include the Primitivo variety that culminates in the wines that bear its name, the "Primitivo di Manduria DOC" and "Primitivo di Gioia del Colle": with their full-bodied, intense colouring and aroma, these wines represent the Mediterranean nature of Apulia.
The Salento area is the cradle of the Negroamaro vine variety. Indeed, this variety may be found both in renown rosé as well as red wines. This is the main grape variety for the Salice Salentino, Brindisi and, clearly, Negroamaro wines.
Malvasia Nera may be blended with Negroamaro both in rosé and red wines, thus enhancing the olfactory richness of these wines, or the grape may be vinified in purity to yield dark and intense wines with rich aromas and flavour; fine sparkling wines are softy and zesty, bubbly like the sea...
Salento rosé wines are an exquisite product: fruity, fresh and sapid, but also velvety and robust. Versatility is their prime characteristic: they make excellent fine bubbly wines or intense still wines.
Among the Salento red wines there are spicy wines with an intense colour, full-bodied with high alcohol content, robust and intense.
The white varieties also do themselves honour, with Trebbiano, Chardonnay and Malvasia.
Among the dessert wines, the Aleatico deserves mention, an excellent garnet-red wine with a velvety flavour.