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Puglia (Apulia to many English speakers) is a long, thin wine region in the far south-eastern corner of the 'boot' of Italy. Puglia lends itself to division into three rough viticultural areas, which correspond neatly to its administrative provinces: Foggia in the north, Bari and Taranto in the middle and Brindisi and Lecce in the south.

The 'true' Puglia is to be found in the south, below the Brindisi–Taranto line, which traces the southernmost stretch of the Appian Way. Here the wines are made from grape varieties almost unique to the area, while in the north the prevalent grapes are those used all over central and northern Italy (such as Sangiovese and Montepulciano). The most obviously full-blooded Puglian grapes are Negroamaro and Primitivo, while Verdeca is the only salient example among the whites in this hot, red-dominated region. Primitivo is at home in Manduria and Gioia del Colle, and creates robust, powerful wines known locally as mirr test (hard wine). Negroamaro is more widespread and defines the red wines of the majority of southern Puglia's DOCs: Alezio, Matino, Galatina, Copertino, Nardo, Leverano, Lizzano, Salice Salentino, Squinzano and Brindisi.