Apulia (Puglia)

Region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south
Its southern portion known as Salento, a peninsula, forms a high heel on the “boot” of Italy
Produces more wine than any other Italian region usually making up around 17% of the national total
For a long time much of the wine made here was shipped north to Turin were it was used to make Vermouth, or to France where it was used to give structure to French wines when the local harvest was either poor or insufficient
In recent years, more wines are being made here instead of shipping them out partly affected by a large influx of cash from foreign and domestic investors
Home of the Primitivo di Manduria, a red named after the California researcher, Carole Meredith, who proved the Primativo has the same DNA as the American Zinfandel