Renu Chahil-Graf heads to the heel of Italy and falls head over heels in love 

There was so much advice. All very helpful. Although much not followed. It’s the wrong season for Puglia (pronounced Poo-lee-ah). January is so cold – and windy. There’s so much to see and do. Yes, it’s called the heel because this easternmost tip of Italy looks like a boot heel – a stiletto at that! Keep Lecce as your base to explore the region. Negroamaro and Primitivo – indeed, these wines were worth singing about. But there were more discoveries.

To proceed chronologically, I arrived well in time to attend the New Year’s Eve party at the elegant, classic Hotel Toro del Parco in Lecce, with its fabled tower from 1419. Only Italians are attending the dinner, the kind hotel authorities forewarned me. Non c’è problema, I assured them. True, most Italians speak only Italian. But after the Prosecco was sipped, the whites drained, the reds relished and the grappa knocked down – indeed everyone at my table was speaking English and I was speaking Italian!

Saving the GH Mumm Brut Cordon Rouge for midnight, the evening started with an extra dry Prosecco, Santa Maria di Valdobbiadene, 11.5% alcohol, 100% Glera grapes, followed by the locally grown white, Conti Zecca Agapo Moscato Bianco (100% Malvasia grapes from the Lecce region, straw yellow in colour and a rich bouquet, pleasantly fruity with an almondy finish). This was to accompany the starter of fresh ravioli stuffed with yellow pumpkin and Amaretto, Gallipoli shrimp tartare, and salted mullet roe! Yes, all of that, and it was just the beginning.

Next, was an excellent red, a Cantalupi Riserva Salice Salentino 2017, a mélange of Negroamoro and Malvasia Nera, also from Conti Zecca, the local Lecce vineyard. A rich deep red, it had an intense aroma with hints of cherry, prunes, vanilla and chocolate, 13.5% alcohol. It worked well with the main course of steamed lobster, roasted octopus, fresh squid tempura and croaker on a potato cream with sweet lemon pieces. Not surprising, that some guests had travelled all the way from Rome for this exceptional evening – to savour the best of the region’s food and wine. Moving onwards, we took a three-hour bus ride to dramatic Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where the local population lived in caves till as recently as the 1950s. It takes 

Moving onwards, we took a three-hour bus ride to dramatic Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where the local population lived in caves till as recently as the 1950s. It takes your breath away. The main street through the antique village boasts an excellent wine bar and bistro, L’Antica Credenza. Mirco, the in-house specialist, born in Matera, diplomatically declines to point out his favourite wine. But on his recommendation I take home an Il Repertorio 2017, a hefty 14% alcohol, full-bodied, garnet ruby red, elegant on the nose with a taste of minerals and black fruits with hints of pepper and walnuts. Made from 100% Aglianico del Vulture grapes, the wine is aged in French oak barrels for at least 12 months and stored in natural caves. Perfect for game and roasted meats. What a find!

 Now, neither Bunny nor Jan (my main advisors) would have been happy if I had skipped the number one recommendation, Alberobello, nor Gallipoli. So, despite the winds and chills I persevered… Unbelievable is a word I could use in every paragraph of this story for locations, food and wine. And chance encounters that put you in just the right spot at the right time.

Arriving in Alberobello, my eyes open wider and wider. Alberobello is a small village, densely populated with “trulli”, small, white-washed, stone huts with conical roofs, which make you feel you’re in fantasy land. But they’re real. With people living in them and shops too, including a lovely wine store comprehensively stocked with the best from the region. On Sunday, we found that most major restaurants were fully booked by locals and tourists alike. So, prowling around the small streets for a place to eat, we hit gold, stumbling upon a small, hole-in-the-wall gem, the Favola in Tavola Ristorante. 

Exploring the charming village, we entered one of the trulli, to be confronted with an abundance of wines for sale from the region. Unable to taste much more, we settle for the Pizzorosso Primitivo from Salento, an intense red colour, 14% alcohol, an elegant nose with an aroma of prunes, vanilla, walnuts and chocolate. Pure pleasure.

Slowly unwinding, returning to Lecce and looking forward to heading back to Brindisi to catch my flight back to Geneva, I recall that my offspring had insisted that I attend a cooking class while in Italy, to improve my talents in that department.

Before I knew it, I was in the home of Francesco and Daniela, learning to make orecchiette pasta from scratch while being introduced to an extra dry Melarosa Spumante, a bubbly from a winery just 5 km away. Made from the Negroamaro grape, it was a sparkling rosé, fresh and vibrant with a delicate floral nose served with home-made focaccia. This was followed by the local speciality dish , fava bean purée with sautéed chicory, which was paired with Due Palme Selvamara 2016 from Salento, a Negroamaro, aged six months in French oak barrels. Another unforgettable evening.

Suffice it to say, this trip yielded way more than expectation, despite tripping over Christmas wiring in Lecce town centre, or stumbling on uneven floors in cave churches. The combination of excellent food and wine, staggeringly beautiful antique villages and the warmth of the people, whether speaking English or not, makes Puglia a very special place. Look out Provence, Puglia might just take over!