Minutolo is a white grape variety with deep roots in Puglia, and in particular in the Itria Valley, where for a long time it was also known as Fiano, leading to persistent confusion with the Fiano variety from Campania. Ampelographic and genetic research has clarified its varietal identity, restoring the value of a historical presence documented between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The mature leaf is medium-sized, pentagonal and generally five-lobed, with a slightly blistered upper surface and an underside characterised by moderate tomentosity; the bunch is medium-sized, conical and winged, of average length and loose. The berries, spherical and of medium size, have a firm skin, a green-yellow colouration sometimes tending towards pink, colourless flesh and a distinctly muscat flavour. Ripening takes place between the second and third ten-day periods of September. The main growing area comprises the Itria Valley and the provinces of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto, with cultivation now extending to other parts of the region. The wine is generally straw-yellow in colour, sometimes with golden highlights; it is intense and easily recognisable on the nose for its aromas of white flowers, rose, peach, apricot, citrus and tropical fruit. On the palate, it combines aromatic richness, freshness, savouriness and good body. When vinified in stainless steel, it displays immediacy, whilst maceration, prolonged ageing and experimentation in amphorae can foster greater complexity and positive development in the bottle.
