1882 Puglia Appassimento

Piccini, founded in Tuscany in 1882, extended its reach into Puglia to harness the appassimento method — partial drying of harvested grapes — a technique more associated with Amarone in the Veneto but here applied to the sun-scorched south to amplify the natural ripeness of Primitivo and Negroamaro. Puglia's flat to gently rolling terrain sits at low elevation, with red clay and limestone soils that retain heat through the long growing season, pushing grapes toward high sugar accumulation and deep pigmentation. The appassimento drying phase — typically several weeks on racks or in drying lofts — reduces water content, concentrating sugars, anthocyanins, and dried-fruit aromatics before fermentation. The result is a wine of noticeably elevated alcohol and glycerol weight relative to a standard Puglia IGT red at this price point. Oak aging is employed to soften the concentrated fruit, though specific vessel size and new-oak percentage are not disclosed by the producer. What sets this expression apart within the Piccini range is the deliberate application of a northern Italian drying technique to indigenous southern varieties, producing a style that sits between an everyday Puglia red and a full appassimento wine. Drink now through 2026 for peak fruit expression.