Brindisi is an important port city in the Puglia wine region of south-eastern Italy. The naturally deep harbor has long been the main point of entry for sea-borne goods into the 'heel' of Italy. The city's maritime location is reflected in the soil types found here, mostly limestone and marine sands lying over heavy Pleistocene-era clays.
The Brindisi DOC covers the city itself and its inland neighbor Mesagne. These two sprawling cities are connected by a western extension of the Appian Way, arrow-straight over the nine-mile (14.5km) distance. The key grape variety used in Brindisi wines is Negroamaro, the tannic, late-ripening workhorse of southern Italian red-wine grapes. Under the DOC laws, this may be accompanied by up to 30% Malvasia Nera or Montepulciano and up to 10% Sangiovese. Brindisi wines are typically robust and highly tannic, with dark, baked fruit flavors.
Despite its proximity to the Adriatic Sea, the climate here is both hot and dry. Puglia's name derives from the Latin phrase a pluvia, meaning 'without rain'. Southern Italy has been nicknamed Il Mezzogiorno, meaning 'the midday', due to its long, hot summers (le Midi in southern France has precisely the same meaning and origin). With 300 sunny days each year and mid-summer afternoon temperatures regularly surpassing 40C, the grapes which grow here develop high levels of sugar over the growing season. Naturally, the wines which are made from these grapes are high in alcohol and/or residual sugar.
