Daunia is undoubtedly an area rich in history, nature, art and great wines.
If we were to ask a foreign tourist which Italian wine he prefers, he will surely answer that he loves to taste an excellent glass of Barolo, Amarone, Chianti or Brunello di Montalcino. It's clear: these are the most iconic wines of our beautiful country, which over the decades have been able to excellently represent Italian wine excellence.
But this would be an answer that would represent a very limited vision and knowledge of our heritage of wines and vine varieties. In fact, today they are registered 545 varieties out of 1,368 worldwide: that is, 40% of the varieties grown in the world are found in Italy!
In Italy are produced 50.9 million hectoliters, 751 million bottles of which 83% are DOC or DOCG, 6% IGT and the remaining table wine.
Furthermore, Italian wines are divided into 521 denominations dedicated to wine: 73 DOCG, 330 DOC and 118 IGT.
You will understand well that for a tourist or a wine lover the choice of delicious Italian wines is enormous and could satisfy every need, taste and trend. Italy has always been a land of naturalistic, artistic, gastronomic and wine excellence, and these numbers prove it.
Returning to the title of this article, I ask you again: what do you know about Daunia wines?
Before getting into the details, I would like to tell you something more about the particular and sometimes mysterious history of this land.
La Daunia it is a historical-geographical district of southern Italy which in pre-Roman times, together with nearby Peucezia (located south-east of the Ofanto valley) and the more distant Messapia, constituted Iapigia, present-day Puglia. The Daunian territory extends from the Gargano to the Vulture and from the Sub-Apennines to the Gulf of Manfredonia, thus embracing the entire Tavoliere delle Puglie and bordering with the territory of the Frentani and with the Sannio at the height of the Fortore basin, while the valleys of the Cervaro and of Ofanto are shared with Irpinia.
Ancient Daunia corresponded to a good part of the former Capitanata and the current province of Foggia, as well as the western part of the new province of Barletta-Andria-Trani and the extreme northern edge of the modern province of Potenza (the latter located in Basilicata).
The Daunians occupied the northernmost territory of Iapygia, bordering to the north-west with the Frentani, to the west with the Samnites, to the south-west with the Irpini (also of Samnite lineage), to the south with the Lucanians, to the south-east with the Peucetii.
The myth has it that the Trojan hero Diomedes founded Arpi, present-day Foggia.
Ancient sources (Herodotus, Thucydides, Polybius, Varro, Festus, Pliny the Elder and Nicander) speak of the subdivision of Iapygia into Daunia, Peucezia and Messapia as a result of the settlement of the Iapygians, a mixture of Cretans and Illyrians, who would have driven out the Ausoni (who, together with the Italians, inhabited the South). However, according to another hypothesis, originally the Daunians would also have been Italians, and only later would they have integrated with the Iapygians.
Among the most significant finds, in addition to the sub-geometric ceramics, typical of this civilization, certainly stand out the famous Daunian stelae, sculpted anthropomorphic funerary slabs from the 8th-6th century BC. They represent the deceased, highly stylized and were fixed vertically into the ground, corresponding to the burials of those they depicted. Significantly among the symbols carved on the stelae are the symbol of the rising sun (mistakenly associated with the swastika) and the flower of life and many "concentric circles" which are nothing other than "water signs" (representation of the stone in the pond!) on the steles depicted as auspicious symbols of rebirth.
Among the other important finds it is also worth mentioning the Trapezophoros of Ascoli Satriano, a famous sculpture without similar precedents, in polychrome marble, depicting two griffins tearing a doe to pieces, also exhibited at the Italian Pavilion during Expo 2015.
The main inhabited centers of Daunia were Tiati (near San Paolo di Civitate), Uria (northeast side of the Gargano), Casone (near San Severo), Luceria, Monte Saraceno (near Mattinata), Siponto (near current Manfredonia), Coppa Nevigata, Cupola, Salapia (partially in the countryside of Cerignola and Manfredonia), Arpi or Argyrippa or Argos Hippium (near Foggia), Aecae (near Troia), Vibinum (Cattle), Herdonia (Ordona), Ausculum (Ascoli Satriano), Canusium ( Canosa), Forentum (Lavello) and Venusia (Venosa).
So as you can see, Daunia has a thousand-year history that intertwines with ancient Greece up to the Roman Empire and was the favorite home of Emperor Frederick II of Swabia, who chose this land as his usual and favorite home. And it was he who gave an important impulse to the cultivation of one of the most representative vines of this area: Nero di Troia.
La Puglia it undoubtedly represents the region that contributes the most to Italian wine production, producing 11 million hectoliters, represented by 4 DOCG, 29 DOC and 6 IGT.
There are four wine-growing areas in Puglia: Daunia, Murgia, Messapia, with the Valle d'Itria and Salento.
I am aware that Puglia is best known for two great vines, Primitivo and Negramaro but the time has come to tell you about the great wines of this great territory: Daunia
Daunia has 5 DOCs: Tavoliere delle Puglie, San Severo, Orta Nova, Cerignola and Cacc' and Mitte di Lucera. And an IGT Daunia.
Its main vines, historically native and inextricably linked to this territory, are two: Nero di Troia and Bombino Bianco.
Nero di Troia is certainly a grape variety with great potential and unique characteristics, which clearly distinguish it from the other two black grape varieties, Primitivo and Negroamaro. It is a vine that ripens in the second half of October, is characterized by grapes with a moderate sugar content, a balanced acidity and a very important presence of tannin present in its skins. It is vinified as both red and rosé, and there are also some cases in which it is vinified as white.
The history of the territory of the Nero di Troia slavishly follows the evolution of the Daunians. The Troia grape is one of the oldest and most characteristic vines of central-northern Puglia, but its origins are uncertain: there are many legends surrounding it. Regarding its name, three hypotheses have been put forward: the first has an "epic" scenario, as the Uva di Troia is considered to originate from the historical city of Troy in Asia Minor described by Homer in his epic tales.
Legend has it that the vine arrived in southern Italy, and precisely along the Apulian coasts, through the Greek colonizers more than two thousand years ago. Another, less suggestive hypothesis indicates the Albanian town Cruja as the origin of the Uva di Troia; while the thesis that indicates the vine originates from the territory adjacent to the Apulian city of Troia remains more truthful. Among all, the most fascinating theory certainly remains the one linked to the legend of the Greek hero Diomedes: after the Trojan War ended, he sailed up the Ofanto river bringing with him vine shoots from his land which, when planted, gave rise to the 'Uva di Troia.
The great historical value of these plantations is attested by various citations which refer to Frederick II of Swabia, who loved to taste the "full-bodied wine of Troy", and to the marquises 6 D'Avalos who, having purchased the city in 1533, and noted the The absolute quality and suitability of the surrounding land significantly increased the cultivation of this grape.
The red wines produced from these grapes are often drunk after aging for at least a year to "tame" and soften its tannic part. Purely, Nero di Troia could be a strong, imposing and austere wine. In reality, Nero di Troia in their interpretations of quality and refinement reach the delicacy and elegance of some Amarones or Barolos.
Nero di Troia is a structured red wine, therefore it should be tasted taking care to open the bottle a little before tasting, depending on the aging to which the wine has been subjected. The ideal tasting temperature varies from 18 to 20°C and a large glass for red or baloon wines will be used. Nero di Troia has a beautiful intense ruby red color which tends to disappear with aging and tends towards garnet.
It is a full-bodied wine, with an alcohol content that often does not exceed 13.5% and with high consistency and roundness. The aromas are typical and exactly identify this vine: red fruits (cherry, blackberry, plum), spicy (cloves, pepper), balsamic. It goes well with meat, game, grilled dishes and generally greasy dishes which go perfectly thanks to its tannins.
Nero di Troia is certainly the strongest emblem of this land that combines history, territory and wine excellence. It is the black pearl of Puglia.
The other illustrious representative of the world of Daunian wine is the Bombino Bianco.
Bombino bianco is a vine widely cultivated in the province of Foggia and especially in the surroundings of San Severo, where it constitutes an immense wine-growing area, but also in the Gargano and in the Lucera area, although present in a small part in some blends of other regions . Its name derives from the translation from the Spanish "Buonvino" and is harvested in the first ten days of September. The white Bombino is probably of Spanish origin, but has been present in Puglia since time immemorial. It is vinified in purity, giving a straw yellow wine with greenish reflections, rich, pleasant, with a clean taste. It has a fruity, mineral taste with good acidity. It is a white wine that also lends itself well to sparkling winemaking with the classic method.
This is a vine that has always produced high quality wines with a sometimes northern profile, with sweet and never intrusive aromas. It lends itself very well to accompanying fish-based dishes, vegetables and medium-aged cheeses.
As you will have read in these few lines, Daunia has all the qualifications and requirements to define itself as a land with a long wine history and great quality wines. It is a territory that is able to give unique, original and characteristic wines that differ from those produced from Primitivo and Negroamaro grapes. They are wines with often northern features, with particular aromas and tastes that tell of the soils, climate and traditions of Daunia.
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