Cacc'e mmitte di Lucera is a small DOC in the province of Foggia, in Apulia, around the town of Lucera, on the edge of the Tavoliere plain. Recognised in 1975, it is a tiny appellation: about 8 hectares, with an output of 405 hectolitres. It makes a single wine, the Rosso.
The name
The dialect name is often explained by how easy the wine is to drink: drawn from the cask and drunk at once, so the glass can be filled again. In fact it comes from an old winemaking practice. The owners of the palmenti, southern farmsteads equipped with vats for crushing grapes, rented out the equipment, and the work had to be finished within the day. So one tenant took the freshly made must out of the vats to carry it to his own cellar, «cacce», and the next one poured in his own grapes to crush, «mmitte».
A blend with white grapes
The base is Uva di Troia, that is Nero di Troia, locally called Sumarello, at 35 to 60%. To it are added 25 to 35% Malvasia Nera, Montepulciano or Sangiovese, and 15 to 30% white grapes: Bombino Bianco, Malvasia Bianca and Trebbiano. Minimum alcohol is 11.5% and no minimum ageing is required.
The white grapes lighten the wine: the colour is a not-too-deep ruby, the aromas are of cherry, red berries and flowers, and the tannin of Nero di Troia is softened. It is a red to drink young, fresh and easy-flowing.
At the table
It goes with cured meats and meat-based first courses, and is at its best with hearty Apulian pasta with ragù. The same province of Foggia is home to the San Severo DOC and the Daunia IGT.
