Uva di Puglia PGI: varieties, season, and how to recognize it

Uva di Puglia IGP does not simply mean grapes grown in Puglia. Behind this designation is a set of regulations (disciplinare) that establishes which varieties can be certified, where they must be produced, what characteristics they must possess, and how the product must be packaged and labeled.

This is an important distinction, especially when speaking of Pugliese grapes. Puglia holds a leading position in Italian table grape production, but this does not mean that every bunch harvested in the region can use the PGI (IGP) designation.

In this guide, we look at what Uva di Puglia IGP is, which varieties it includes, when grapes in Puglia intended for this designation are harvested, where they are produced, and what information to look for on the packaging to recognize the certified product.

What is Uva di Puglia IGP

The acronym IGP stands for Indicazione Geografica Protetta (Protected Geographical Indication). In the European Union, it identifies products for which a specific quality, reputation, or other characteristic is essentially attributable to their geographical origin and for which at least one stage of production, processing, or preparation takes place in the indicated area.

In the case of Uva di Puglia IGP, the regulations establish even more precise conditions for grape production and require that packaging also take place within the delimited geographical zone.

The designation was registered at the European level with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 680/2012 of 24 July 2012. The official record of the Puglia Region indicates 25 July 2012 as the registration date.

The certification does not apply indiscriminately to every grape grown in the region. To use the "Uva di Puglia" designation, the prescribed territory, allowed varieties, quality requirements, production rules, traceability, packaging, and labeling established by the regulations must be respected.

The official regulations currently published by MASAF include five table grape varieties: Italia, Regina, Victoria, Michele Palieri, and Red Globe.

Where it is produced

The production zone for Uva di Puglia IGP is very extensive, but it must not be described simply as "all of Puglia." The regulations identify regional territories located below 330 meters above sea level and distinguish between municipalities entirely delimited and those only admitted up to the established altitude.

Province of Bari

Entirely delimited: Adelfia, Bari, Bitetto, Bitritto, Capurso, Casamassima, Cellamare, Conversano, Giovinazzo, Modugno, Mola di Bari, Molfetta, Noicàttaro, Polignano a Mare, Rutigliano, Sammichele di Bari, Triggiano, Turi, and Valenzano.

Partially delimited up to the prescribed altitude: Acquaviva delle Fonti, Binetto, Bitonto, Cassano delle Murge, Castellana Grotte, Corato, Gioia del Colle, Grumo Appula, Monopoli, Palo del Colle, Putignano, Ruvo di Puglia, Sannicandro di Bari, Terlizzi, and Toritto.

Province of Brindisi

Entirely delimited: Brindisi, Carovigno, Cellino San Marco, Erchie, Francavilla Fontana, Latiano, Mesagne, Oria, San Donaci, San Michele Salentino, San Pancrazio Salentino, San Pietro Vernotico, San Vito dei Normanni, Torre Santa Susanna, and Villa Castelli.

Partially delimited: Ceglie Messapica, Cisternino, Fasano, and Ostuni.

Province of Foggia

Entirely delimited: Carapelle, Chieuti, Foggia, Isole Tremiti, Lesina, Ordona, Orta Nova, Poggio Imperiale, Rodi Garganico, San Paolo di Civitate, San Severo, Serracapriola, Stornara, Stornarella, Torremaggiore, and Zapponeta.

Partially delimited: Apricena, Ascoli Satriano, Cagnano Varano, Carpino, Casalvecchio di Puglia, Castelluccio dei Sauri, Castelnuovo della Daunia, Cerignola, Ischitella, Lucera, Manfredonia, Peschici, Rignano Garganico, San Giovanni Rotondo, San Marco in Lamis, Sannicandro Garganico, Troia, Vico del Gargano, and Vieste.

Province of Taranto

Entirely delimited: Avetrana, Carosino, Faggiano, Fragagnano, Grottaglie, Leporano, Lizzano, Manduria, Maruggio, Monteiasi, Montemesola, Monteparano, Palagianello, Palagiano, Pulsano, Roccaforzata, San Giorgio Jonico, San Marzano di San Giuseppe, Sava, Statte, Taranto, and Torricella.

Partially delimited: Castellaneta, Crispiano, Ginosa, Massafra, and Mottola.

Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani

Entirely delimited: Barletta, Bisceglie, Trani, Margherita di Savoia, San Ferdinando di Puglia, and Trinitapoli.

Andria and Canosa di Puglia are partially delimited up to the altitude established by the regulations.

Province of Lecce

The regulations indicate the province of Lecce as entirely delimited.

Geographical origin alone, therefore, is not enough. A grape grown in one of these territories must still meet all other requirements to be marketed as Uva di Puglia IGP.

The varieties of Uva di Puglia IGP

The regulations reserve the designation for the Extra and I commercial categories and include five varieties. Upon release for consumption, whole bunches must have a weight of no less than 300 grams.

For each variety, minimum berry diameter, color, and minimum juice value expressed in degrees Brix are also established.

Italia

The Italia grape must have a light straw-yellow color. The minimum berry diameter, measured at the equatorial diameter, is 22 mm.

The minimum value required for the juice is 14 °Brix.

Regina

The Regina grape must have a light straw-yellow color. The regulations establish a minimum berry diameter of 15 mm.

The minimum juice value is 14 °Brix.

Victoria

The Victoria grape provided for by the designation has a light straw-yellow color. The minimum diameter is 21 mm.

The minimum juice value is 13 °Brix.

Michele Palieri

For the Michele Palieri grape, the regulations require a deep velvety black color. The berries must reach a minimum diameter of 22 mm.

The minimum juice value is 13 °Brix.

Red Globe

The Red Globe grape must have a rosé doré color. The minimum diameter provided for is 22 mm.

The minimum juice value is 14 °Brix.

For all varieties, the regulations also establish that the ratio between Brix degrees and total acidity must not be less than 22.

These are technical parameters verified within the control system. For the buyer, the most practical way to distinguish the certified product is therefore not to measure a berry, but to check the designation, logo, and label.

When Uva di Puglia IGP is harvested

To the question "when are grapes harvested in Puglia?", there is no single answer. The period changes based on the variety, the destination of the grapes, and the reaching of the established quality requirements.

For Uva di Puglia IGP, the regulations indicate the following harvest start times:

• Victoria: starting from the beginning of the second ten-day period of July;
• Michele Palieri: starting from the beginning of the third ten-day period of July;
• Italia: starting from the beginning of the third ten-day period of August;
• Regina: starting from the beginning of the third ten-day period of August;
• Red Globe: starting from the beginning of the third ten-day period of August.

The word "decade" (ten-day period), in this context, indicates one of the three conventional parts into which a month is divided. It is not equivalent to a harvest date identical for every company and every vintage.

The regulations specify, in fact, that the harvest begins from the moment the minimum quality requirements are met. Seasonal conditions and vineyard management techniques can influence the actual moment of ripening.

Covering the trellis with nets or plastic films and greenhouse cultivation are also permitted, including with the objective of encouraging earlier ripening or delaying the harvest.

How to recognize Uva di Puglia IGP

A bunch cannot be recognized as PGI (IGP) solely by color or size. Even the generic writing "uva pugliese" or a sign indicating origin from Puglia do not automatically equate to the certified designation.

Designation name

The first element to look for is the protected name "Uva di Puglia" associated with the IGP indication according to what is established by the regulations.

IGP Logo

The regulations provide for a specific mandatory logo for the certified product.

The mark consists of a dark red circle bordered with the colors of the Italian flag. Inside appear a representation of Puglia, a bunch of grapes, a stylized sun, the acronym IGP, and the wording "Uva di Puglia." The community symbol of the certification is also present.

The designation logo is reproduced on a self-adhesive seal or collar.

Label and packaging

The content of each package must be homogeneous and include bunches of the same variety, origin, and quality standard. Every package must also be sealed.

The regulations contemplate specific formats:

• crates of 5 kg net in cardboard, wood, plywood, or plastic;
• cardboard crates of 2, 2.5, or 3 kg net;
• baskets of 2, 1.5, 1, 0.75, or 0.5 kg net in polypropylene or PET, gathered in plastic, wood, or cardboard packaging;
• bags of 0.5 or 1 kg net in PET, gathered in plastic, wood, or cardboard packaging.

The materials used inside the packaging must be new and clean, and the packaging must be free of foreign bodies.

A particularly important requirement concerns the location: packaging must be carried out within the production zone provided by the regulations. The motivation indicated in the official text is to prevent transport and excessive handling from damaging the berries, altering their integrity and color.

Information required by the regulations

The label must be legible, visible from the outside, and indelible. Among the information required by the regulations are:

• name and address, or symbol or identification code, of the packer and the producer of the grapes;
• the indication "uva da tavola" (table grape) if the content is not visible from the outside;
• the indication of the variety.

For the consumer, therefore, the most reliable criterion is to check designation, logo, and information present on the packaging together.

Table grapes and wine grapes: what is the difference?

Table grapes and grapes intended for winemaking both belong to the vine, but they are grown and selected with different destinations in mind.

Table grapes are intended primarily for fresh consumption. For this reason, commercial characteristics like the integrity of the bunch and berries, size, appearance, and condition of the product at the moment of sale assume particular importance.

Wine grapes, on the other hand, are harvested with the goal of being transformed into must and subsequently used in winemaking. The choice of cultivars and the timing of the harvest therefore respond to the needs of the oenological product one wishes to obtain.

It does not mean one category is better than the other: they simply have different functions and supply chains.

It is a useful distinction also when speaking of the harvest (vendemmia). In common parlance, the word is often associated with wine, while the harvest of table grapes follows its own commercial and qualitative logic.

To delve into the side related to winemaking, you can also read the Pugghia article on the grape harvest in Puglia between wines and typical products.

Why Puglia is important for table grapes

Pugliese table grapes represent a much larger sector than just Uva di Puglia IGP. It is essential to remember this when using statistics on acreage, production, or foreign trade.

In an official statement published on 12 February 2026, the Puglia Region indicates for regional table grapes over 23,000 hectares cultivated and a share equal to about 60% of Italian production.

The data confirms the weight of Puglia in the national supply chain, but it concerns the entire table grape crop produced in the region: it cannot be attributed to Uva di Puglia IGP alone.

The ISMEA Focus on table grapes of October 2024, picked up by the Statistical Office of the Puglia Region, also signaled a reduction in invested surfaces, particularly evident in the province of Bari, with -2.7%, and in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, with -1.2%.

Foreign trade also confirms the international vocation of the sector. An institutional page of the Puglia Region based on CREA processing of ISTAT data reports that Pugliese table grape exports grew by 12% between 2022 and 2023.

This data also concerns Pugliese table grapes as a whole and not only the PGI (IGP) designation.

A clarification on economic value: the recent institutional sources consulted report overall values for Pugliese fruit growing, but do not isolate the economic value of Uva di Puglia IGP alone in a sufficiently clear and comparable manner. For this reason, we do not attribute to the designation values that concern broader categories.

Seeded and seedless grapes

The table grape market is showing growing interest in seedless cultivars, also indicated as apirene or seedless.

An example comes from research conducted in Puglia. In 2024, CREA presented Maula, an Italian seedless red berry variety obtained as part of a genetic improvement program carried out together with the NuVaUT Consortium and registered in the National Register of Vine Varieties.

CREA emphasizes how seedless varieties are increasingly in demand by the market and consumers. This change, however, must not be confused with the Uva di Puglia IGP certification.

The official regulations published by MASAF currently list exclusively Italia, Regina, Victoria, Michele Palieri, and Red Globe. The new seedless cultivars developed or grown in Puglia therefore do not automatically become Uva di Puglia IGP.

How to choose table grapes

When buying fresh grapes, we can make an initial assessment by carefully observing the bunch.

• Bunch: it should look intact and in good general condition.
• Berries: it is preferable that they are intact and firmly attached to the bunch.
• Skin: it should not show obvious breaks or marked signs of deterioration.
• Freshness: it is best to avoid packages with visibly rotten or heavily damaged berries.
• Color: this must be assessed in relation to the variety, because the cultivars provided for by the PGI (IGP) have different colorations.

In the case of Uva di Puglia PGI, however, the appearance of the bunch cannot replace certification. Grapes can look exactly like a variety provided for by the production specifications without being certified.

To recognize PGI products, you must therefore check the packaging and the label.

How to store grapes at home

Fresh grapes are a delicate product and benefit from refrigerated storage. Once brought home, it is advisable to store them in the refrigerator, first and foremost following any instructions provided on the packaging.

Avoid crushing the bunches and check the state of the product periodically. Berries that show rot or obvious deterioration should be removed.

For washing, the guidelines from the Food and Drug Administration recommend washing fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before preparation or consumption.

It is not recommended to use soap, household detergents, or commercial products for washing fruits and vegetables.

After rinsing, the product can be gently dried with a clean cloth or paper towel. To limit moisture during storage, it is practical to wash grapes close to the time of consumption, unless indicated otherwise on the packaging.

It is not correct to indicate a universal duration valid for every bunch: the initial state of the grapes, the temperature of the refrigerator, ripeness, and packaging can change the storage times.

How to eat and pair them

The simplest way to consume table grapes is also the one that allows you to appreciate their texture and characteristics directly: washed thoroughly and eaten fresh.

However, they can also become a versatile ingredient. A few berries can accompany cheeses, salads, and dried fruits, or be used in sweet and savory preparations.

A contemporary cheese board, for example, can bring together fresh grapes, almonds, and cheeses. It is not necessary to present it as a historical tradition: it is simply a modern pairing based on the combination of different textures and flavors.

To learn more about another ingredient of the regional gastronomic culture, you can read the Pugghia in-depth article on Puglian almonds and intorchiate.

Among the specialties available on Pugghia, you will also find Puglian almond intorchiate and Puglian sweet wine taralli. These products are not linked to the fresh grape certification, but they recount other uses of ingredients and flavors present in the Puglian food culture.

Grapes and the Puglian agricultural tradition

The relationship between Puglia and table grapes long precedes the 2012 PGI recognition.

The production specifications place the first evidence of the commercial reputation of Uva di Puglia at the end of the 19th century, when shipments to other Italian and European markets began to develop.

Over time, in the areas best suited to the production of Puglian table grapes, a strong specialization in the management of the vine and the bunch has developed.

One of the training forms expressly provided for by the specifications is the horizontal roof pergola, commonly called a "tendone", a structure that still characterizes many areas dedicated to table grapes today.

Work in the vineyards includes careful operations on shoots and bunches and targeted management of light, ripening, and protection of the product. It is a specialized agriculture that continues to evolve through research, new cultivars, and cultivation techniques.

Talking about Uva di Puglia PGI therefore means talking about a precise, regulated, and controlled production, without confusing it with all Puglian grapes or with grapes intended for wine production.

To continue learning about the gastronomic heritage of the region, you can also read the Pugghia guide dedicated to typical Puglian products.

Frequently asked questions about Uva di Puglia PGI

What is Uva di Puglia PGI?

It is a protected geographical indication reserved for table grapes that comply with the Uva di Puglia production specifications. The European recognition dates back to 2012.

What are the varieties of Uva di Puglia PGI?

The specifications published by MASAF provide for five varieties: Italia, Regina, Victoria, Michele Palieri, and Red Globe.

When are table grapes harvested in Puglia?

It depends on the variety and the attainment of quality requirements. For the PGI, the Victoria can start from the second ten days of July, the Michele Palieri from the third ten days of July, and Italia, Regina, and Red Globe from the third ten days of August.

Where is Uva di Puglia PGI produced?

In the area defined by the specifications, which includes the province of Lecce and numerous territories in the provinces of Bari, Brindisi, Foggia, Taranto, and Barletta-Andria-Trani, according to the delimitation and altitude limit provided.

What is the difference between table grapes and wine grapes?

Table grapes are intended mainly for fresh consumption. Wine grapes are instead harvested to be transformed into must and used in winemaking.

How to recognize Uva di Puglia PGI?

You must check the denomination, the logo provided by the specifications, and the information on the label and packaging. The simple appearance of the bunch is not enough.

How to store table grapes?

It is advisable to store them in the refrigerator, avoid crushing the bunches, remove deteriorated berries, and wash them thoroughly under running water before consumption, always following any instructions given on the packaging.

Are all grapes produced in Puglia PGI?

No. Only the product that meets all the requirements of the designation can be marketed as Uva di Puglia PGI.

Can Uva di Puglia PGI be seedless?

The official specifications currently published by MASAF do not include seedless varieties. Therefore, seedless grapes grown in Puglia cannot be automatically considered Uva di Puglia PGI.

Sources consulted

For the creation of this guide, institutional sources, official documentation, and research organizations were prioritized.

• MASAF – Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry: PDO and PGI specifications – fruit, vegetables, and cereals, Uva di Puglia PGI specification.
• Puglia Region – Quality production: official Uva di Puglia PGI fact sheet.
• European Commission / EUR-Lex: Implementing Regulation (EU) No 680/2012.
• European Commission: Geographical indications and quality schemes explained.
• MASAF – ICQRF: designation of the Bari Chamber of Commerce for Uva di Puglia PGI checks, Ministerial Decree 229865 of May 14, 2026.
• Puglia Region: press release of February 12, 2026, on the Puglian table grape sector.
• Puglia Region – Statistical Office / ISMEA: Table grape trends, October 2024.
• Puglia Region – CREA processing of ISTAT data: data on Puglian agriculture and exports.
• CREA – Council for Agricultural Research and Economics: in-depth analysis of the Maula seedless variety, October 9, 2024.
• FDA – Food and Drug Administration: Selecting and Serving Produce Safely.

Data note: the surfaces, production, and exports cited in the section dedicated to the weight of Puglia refer to the Puglian table grape sector in general. They are not data specific to Uva di Puglia PGI alone and are not presented as such.

Knowing a product also means learning to distinguish a geographical origin from a certification, one variety from another, and table grapes from those intended for winemaking. It is with this attention to sources, the territory, and the supply chains that PUGGHIA tells the story of the Puglian gastronomic culture and the products that are part of it.

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