The Castel del Monte D.O.C., which regulates one of the most exceptional growing areas in Apulia, could hardly be given any other name but that of its most illustrious symbol.
The D.O.C. zone, north of Bari, covers all the areas of the Alta Murgia that slope down towards the Adriatic, including two that share the same Mediterranean climate but are quite different in soil types and landscape.
Above 300 metres reigns the rocky plateau of the Murgia; among the pastures and cultivated fields are the traditional vineyards trained a spalliera bassa, or with low vertical canopies, planted in the low-lying lame where their roots can find nourishment even in the driest summers.
Between 180 and 300 metres, on the other hand, the pre-Murgia zone is characterised by deep, calcareous-tufa soils that host an endless series of olive groves, vineyards, and golden fields of grain.
The traditional varieties here are native grapes, the white Pampanuto and Bombino Bianco, and the red Bombino Nero, Nero di Troia, Montepulciano, and Aglianico, plus - thanks specifically to research done by Rivera -, the foreign white varieties Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, which are now included in D.O.C. regulations.
