Summary
Puglia produces more wine than any other region in Italy, yet when it comes to innovation, progress has been noticeably slow. On April 1, a conference at Villa Neviera in Cellino San Marco — organised by Cantine Due Palme and U.Co.Vi.P. — will raise a direct question to the regional government: why has nothing been done on Piwi? The Pilzwiderstandsfähige Rebsorten, or fungal-resistant vine varieties, are no longer a novelty. Northern regions have already embraced them and are seeing clear results — fungicide use reduced by 80 to 90 percent, improved soil conditions, and lower production costs. Varieties such as Solaris, Bronner, Johanniter, Souvignier Gris, and Cabernet Cortis are now officially listed in Italy's national vine register. The tools are there, and the research is well established.
What remains unclear is why Puglia has yet to follow. Angelo Maci of Cantine Due Palme first raised the issue with regional authorities back in 2016, but the proposal went unanswered. Almost ten years later, there is still no structured experimental programme or financial incentive in place. Meanwhile, regions like Veneto, Alto Adige, Trentino, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Lombardia have moved forward without much noise. Faced with this inertia, Cantine Due Palme chose to act independently, establishing its own Parco Sperimentale della Vite e del Vino in collaboration with the University of Salento. Since 2022, vines have been planted across five research areas, testing varieties such as Sauvignon Kretos, Sauvignon Nepis, Cabernet Eidos, Cabernet Volos, Merlot Khorus, and Merlot Kanthus. The upcoming conference is expected to push for public funding linked to institutions like the Fondazione Edmund Mach, as well as financial backing for growers willing to adopt these varieties, and a more concrete discussion with DOC consortia about their inclusion. Whether these demands will lead to action remains uncertain.
Our take
This piece feels closer to a press release than to independent reporting, and that distinction matters. Much of the narrative follows Cantine Due Palme's point of view, presenting the experimental park as a clear success despite its relatively recent launch and still-developing results. There is little effort to introduce alternative perspectives, no visible input from regional authorities, and limited examination of the reasons behind years of inaction. The storyline is straightforward: Puglia is lagging, institutions have failed to respond, and one private player has stepped in. That may well reflect reality, but it would benefit from deeper reporting rather than relying so heavily on the framing of a single event.
About the author
Egidio Magnani writes for PugliaLive, focusing on culture, environment, and agri-food topics, and is also credited as a photographer. There is no clear indication of specialised expertise in viticulture, and the article itself does not provide much evidence of it. The approach closely mirrors the perspective of the event organisers and reads more like coverage tied to promotion than independent analysis.
About the publisher
PugliaLive is a digital daily based in Bari, founded in 2007 and directed by Nicola Morisco under the Associazione Culturale PugliaLive. It reports on regional news across various sectors and received a Digital News 2023 award. Its agri-food section often leans toward event-driven content, with limited critical distance from institutional or promotional sources.