Nardo is a DOC of the Puglia wine region in south-eastern Italy. It covers red and rose wines from the vineyards around the small town of Nardo, just a few miles inland from the Gulf of Taranto on the Salento peninsula. The coastline is of particular importance to viticulture and winemaking here, as it defines the DOC's western boundary and provides cooling afternoon breezes to moderate the high temperatures. The catchment area forms a rough rectangle, slightly wider in the south around Nardo town and narrowing further north where it abuts Salice Salentino and Leverano. Flat, hot and strewn with vineyards and olive groves, this is typical Puglia countryside.
Puglia produces almost 50% of Italy's olive oil and has long been known as a prolific wine generator; until the turn of the 20th century Nardo's wines did little to diminish this reputation. Historically, high yields and the flat, baked-tasting wines they produced brought little respect to the region's viticulture. There are undeniable signs of change, however: the region is seeing a growing number of winemakers favoring quality over quantity. As the world market demands well-crafted, origin-specific wines, the mass-produced blending wines previously made here are gradually reducing their grip on local vineyards and ledger books.
Nardo DOC wines are made primarily from Negroamaro, often accompanied by Malvasia Nera to soften the edges of this famously sharp grape variety. The other core grape varieties of southern Puglia (Sangiovese Montepulciano and Primitivo) are not sanctioned for use in Nardo wines.
Despite being wedged between the Adriatic Sea and the Gulf of Taranto (at the northern edge of the Ionian Sea), the climate here is 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 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 potential alcohol, and it is one of the key challenges for Nardo winemakers to harness this and craft balanced, attractive wines.
