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reds

Taurasi: this wine is from the aglianico grape, which has been compared to nebbiola of Piedmont. It is an extremely tannic wine, however, and requires adequate aging to even be drinkable. Big, brooding wines.

Aglianico del Vulture: one of the great, and still not very well known, red wines, produced entirely from the aglianico grape, and grown at a high altitude on the slopes of Monte Vulture, a 4300 foot spent volcano. It can be dense and powerful, not to be drunk young, with wonderful perfumes. This is probably Italy's cult wine -- carefully sought out by collectors and devotees.

Negroamaro: there are a bunch of DOC's in Puglia, working primarily with the negroamaro grape softened with the malvasia grape. Brindisi is one such DOC. Negroamaro means black and bitter, but the flavors are exceptional. There are also excellent blendings, some with negroamaro and cabernet sauvignon. A wine to look out for.

Salice Salentino: one of the DOC's of Puglia, featuring wines from the negroamaro grape, producing rich, powerful wines with a lot of complex flavors.

whites

Greco di Tufo: one of the wonderful new gems of Italian winewaking. The grape was imported from the Thessaly region in Greece about 1 B.C., and has been grown in the region of Vesuvius ever since. Now, the winemakers in Arellina have created a gem from this variety, with some bottlers receiving over 90 points in the Wine Spectator. This is maybe the best of the Italian whites that are faithful to their native grapes, as opposed to the wonderful Chardonnays now being produced in the north.

Fiano di Avellino: a rare, but excellent and elegant white wine, can be concentrated and rich.