Gravina

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The north-western Murge are formed from compact limestones of the lithological unit known as the Bari and Altamura limestone, a Cretaceous formation dating back approximately 130 million years, with a thickness reaching 3,000 metres.
• The plateau encompasses the north-western Murge, where the highest elevations of the relief are found, such as Monte Caccia at 680 metres and Torre Disperata at 686 metres, with an average altitude rarely below 350 metres above sea level.
• The erosive action of winds and carbon-dioxide-rich rainwater has shaped an extensive limestone plateau characterised by karst phenomena, devoid of permanent watercourses, with a groundwater table that in the Murge Alte sector can descend to as deep as 400 metres below sea level.
• The vineyards are all situated above 400 metres above sea level, in areas that are naturally and consistently well-ventilated compared to the surrounding territory outside the controlled designation of origin zone.
• The climate is typically pseudo-steppic, with a mean annual temperature of between 10 and 19 degrees Celsius, mean temperatures in the coldest months of between 0 and 4 degrees, and rainfall in the April–October period over the last decade of approximately 300 millimetres, roughly half of the annual total.

• The ancient settlement of Gravina, of Greek origin under the name Sidion, points to a viticultural tradition introduced by the Greeks, with grape varieties such as Malvasia, Greco, and Aglianico.
• A manuscript of 1871 describes the so-called verdeca di Gravina as indistinguishable from true Champagne in terms of colour, clarity, and alcohol content.

• The colour is straw-yellow tending toward greenish, with a characteristic and pleasant nose and a palate that is dry or semi-sweet, fresh, savoury, harmonious, and delicate, sometimes slightly lively. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
• The wine was historically made sparkling by refermentation in sealed containers of the local varieties Greco, Malvasia, and Bianco di Alessano, retaining a good level of residual sugar thanks to the low temperatures of the hypogeal cellars carved into tuff. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• The karst nature of the calcareous soil, low in organic matter and poor in water, encourages low yields per hectare and a pronounced minerality underpinned by good acidity in the wines.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A0550
• Official trade body site — Consorzio di Tutela del Vino Gravina DOP