Salento

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The morphology of the Arco Jonico derives from transgressive-regressive sedimentary cycles dating from the middle Pliocene, which have given the landscape a stepped appearance with escarpments descending toward the coast.
• Along the coastline of the Arco Jonico there is a dune system associated with extensive back-dune depressions.
• The climate of the Arco Jonico is Mediterranean in character, with fairly mild winters (mean minimum temperature 6–7°C) and warm summers (mean maximum temperature 25–26°C), with annual rainfall of approximately 650 mm concentrated mainly in the winter period.
• The Salentine peninsula, jutting out into the sea, has a more humid climate than the rest of Puglia, where the Apennines reduce the moisture input of westerly winds; summers are sultry and winters mild but bitterly cold when the wind blows.
• In the western part of the area, deep clay-loam soils predominate, becoming sandy and shallow toward the coast, while in the communes of the province of Brindisi, sandy clay-loam soils of medium texture and good drainage prevail.

• Viticulture in Salento dates back to the Greek landings and continues through the medieval period, as attested by historical documents and wine amphorae recovered in archaeological excavations.
• The high fragmentation of landholdings, resulting from the Land Reform, allows growers today to select only the best terrains with the best aspects for planting, limiting the risk of hail.

• Salento white presents a straw-yellow colour of varying intensity, a fruity nose, and a characteristic, dry, and savory palate.
• Salento rosé has a deep cherry-pink colour, an intense and persistent nose, while on the palate it is dry and characterful.
• Salento red shows a deep colour with violet hues, a fruity and complex nose, and a harmonious and characteristic palate.

• The organoleptic and analytical characteristics of the wines are a direct consequence of the calcareous and clay soils on which the vineyards stand and of the favourable pedoclimatic conditions.

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 PGI-IT-A0602
• Official trade body site — Consorzio di Tutela Vini DOP Salice Salentino