With the world now catering to the American market, shopping has become a much easier chore for the novice wine buyer. All over the globe, obscure native varietals are being torn up and replaced with Cabernet, Chardonnay, and other so called "International Varietals." Producers of such wines now make a point of presenting their products in the American manner, by varietal, rather than by the more obtuse traditional regional designations — even the famously reactionary Bordeaulais are getting into the act, such that it is now not uncommon to see a Bordeaux labeled "Merlot" or "Sauvignon." From a wine lover's perspective, this state of being must be viewed with ambivalence; while it's great that people are now more easily invited into our fold, this trend towards homogenization sort of cheapens the whole affair. What good is a love of wine if the field of suitors is whittled to a handful?

Though it seems that all of wine is drifting towards this inexorable end, certain regions have proven more behind the curve than others. Puglia, the "heel" of Italy's "boot," continues to be dominated by its numerous native varietals. Until very recently, Puglian wine was almost exclusively of the table variety, enjoyed by the locals with their meals and sold to tourists visiting the fabulous Adriatic coast. To be fair, this is still largely the case, as only about a quarter of the fertile region's wine is ever bottled, and a mere 2% achieves DOC status, the government's benchmark for quality wines. The climate is changing, however, with outside investment, vineyard care and modernization are on the rise, and stateside consumers are finally beginning to see the fruits of this labor. Though highly fertile — Puglia is the second largest producer of wine in Italy by volume — the region remains relatively indigent, and it is not bound to be a major world player for some years. That said, Puglia is blessed with what I think are some of the most interesting grapes in the world, and due to a lack of fashion and awareness, they are all very well priced.

Primitivo, one of Puglia's most widely grown grapes, prized for its productivity and early ripening, has an interesting pedigree. Until the mid-nineties, the grape was thought a local anomaly, when scientists found that it is genetically equivalent to Zinfandel; "America's Grape" has a cousin! While possessed of a depth and fruit-forward quality similar to its domestic counterpart, wine made from Primitivo often has a high acidity and rustic earthiness uncommon of Zinfandel. A-Mano produces the most widely known example of this wine, and though a bit jammy for my taste, it is more than fine for $9 a bottle. More interesting is the Villa Fanelli 'Zeta' Primitivo; six months of barrel aging give this wine a full, round texture not common of the varietal, though this does not subdue the dark berry and cherry fruit expected of the grape. Commonly available for about $12 a bottle, this wine makes a great cookout wine, and would not be amiss with a plate of Eggplant Parmesan. For those looking for a richer experience, $20 will buy you a bottle of Rosa del Golfo, whose Primitivo's purple berry fruit and distinctive earthiness and balance make it a great match with red meat, or practically any dish heavy on the mushrooms.

Keeping within the trope of "American" grapes, where Primitivo is in fact a Mediterranean Zinfandel, Puglia's native Nero di Troia is not unlike California's Petite Sirah: big, dense, and tannic. Where Petite Sirah may be characterized by a certain flabbiness, however, Nero di Troia, like most Italian grapes, pushes through with a winning acidity. Nero di Troia is still relatively uncommon on domestic shelves, but a few examples of this obscure grape have found their way to our area. The Parco Grande Castel del Monte Rosso combines organically grown Troia with Montepulciano and Aglianico to make a medium bodied, brightly fruited cuvee with a pleasing burnt quality on the finish — I have had this wine as an accompaniment to oil cured olives, and the combination was amazing. As for a pure incarnation, Alberto Longo produces the only 100% Nero di Troia I have found in the form of the 'le Cruste' (About $20). This dark purple, bitingly tannic monster is in need of a bit of aging, but I've no doubt that given a few years of cellaring it will make a perfect pair with hard rind aged Italian cheeses.

Though EU subsidies have caused a major decline in its planting, Negroamaro is still one of the region's most widely planted grapes, and easily its most versatile. Negroamaro is used up and down the coast as a base for all types of wine, from light and breezy pinks to dark and brooding reds. It is in the southern third of Puglia, known as Salento, where Negroamaro reaches its incredible heights. When well executed, Negroamaro is reminiscent of a chunkier, more lascivious Chateauneuf-du-Pape; herbaceous and dark, with a lush mouthfeel and lengthy, fruit filled finish. Negroamaro's most familiar example is probably known in the form of the Taurino Salice Salentino, one of the first of its type to be imported into the country by Leonardo LoCascio several decades ago. This perennial favorite exhibits a delightfully backward nose of black cherries and dried herbs, leading to a full bodied presentation of the same, with a lengthy, dry finish. At $12 a bottle, this remains a surprisingly good buy, and pairs very well with cured meats and pizza. Taurino's neighbor Apollonio, in nearby Copertino, has been producing regionally correct wines of the highest caliber for more than four generations. For incorrigible Cabernet lovers, the Apollonio Copertino Rosso (About $16) is a fine introduction to the wider world of wines, offering similar cassis and bramble notes to domestic Cabernet, but with a woodsy, tarry finish. If you've got a bit of time on their hands are willing to throw down $30 on a bottle of wine, the same producer's 'Divoto' Reserva is sublime. This full bodied, dense black wine will not show much at the beginning, but given time it will give up notes of black pepper, tar, licorice, raisins, and more! This is a wine to sit and linger over, but given a good hour of decanting, it will certainly make a great match with your heartier cuts of red meat or ripe cheese.