Cacc'e Mmitte di Lucera ranks as one of the more unusual entries in Italy's list of wine appellations, rivaled only perhaps by Lazio's Est! Est!! Est!!! di Montefiascone. The Cacc'e Mmite di Lucera DOC, registered in 1975, covers Lucera (whose name means either 'sacred' or 'light') and nearby Troia and Biccari, all in the lower foothills of the southern Apennine mountains, in the Foggia province of the south-eastern Puglia wine region. Historically the name has been attributed to the local tradition of pouring the wine directly from its cask, drinking it in a single breath and immediately refilling the drinking vessel. A less intriguing (yet more likely) etymology is that cacche is a local term for the grape press and mmitte are the tanks into which the wine was pressed.
Cacc'e Mmite di Lucera is the name of a red wine produced from the Uva di Troia grape variety, a relative obscurity (even in Italy) whose reputation has gained some traction through the late 20th century and into the 21st; the variety is known locally as Sumarello, and can make up 35–60% of the wine. This is supplemented by portions of Malvasia Nera, Montepulciano and/or Sangiovese (25–35%), and Trebbiano Toscano, Bombino Bianco and/or Malvasia del Chianti (15–30%). Cacc'e Mmitte di Lucera wines are typically robust and highly tannic, with dark, baked fruit flavors.
Despite being wedged between the Apennines and 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. The wines made from these grapes are subsequently high in alcohol.
