Introduction to Puglia in 6 Glasses

Puglia’s Wine & Pasta Masterclass

Master the production of three different pastas from Puglia- northern, central, southern- and pair them with Puglia’s 6 most iconic wines. Get to know extra virgin olive oil and amari and feast one of the prettiest private homes in the historic centre of Lecce

Take this class if you’d like:

* To take an architectural-driven stroll through the historical centre of Lecce
* To visit Lecce’s oldest food market, meet our trusted vendors by name
* To make pasta with your own hands with Italian food and wine-loving people from all over the world
* To taste six different wines from Puglia, from the mountainous north to the sunny south. Whites, pinks, reds*
* To enjoy an epic, wine-soaked feast in a private home in Puglia
* To cook in one of Italy’s prettiest kitchens
* To create and share a two hour feast with fellow students from all over the world, the conversation stimulating
* To understand the history and flavours of amari, Italy’s bitter after dinner drinks: you’ll taste at least 4
* To have all of your questions about Puglia, the food, wine, extra virgin, culture and history answered, leisurely, over wine.

You’ll learn:

  • How to shop for produce in Italy. Concepts, tactics and etiquette
  • How to mix, knead and shape three different pastas from Puglia. Understand how each province uses different flour/flours. How to prepare the 3 condiments (sauces) for the three pastas
  • How to prepare a local second course
  • How to prepare 4 local side dishes
  • How to discern the attributes and defects of extra virgin olive oil. Why so much of the world’s oil is fraudulent
  • How to taste wine: persistence, tannins, heat and fruit
  • How each is made: white, pink, red, orange, charmat and meted classico
  • The DOCs and DOCGs of Puglia. The idiosyncrasies of each
  • The structure of the meal in Italy and why restaurants outside of Italy don’t reflect that
  • The history of amari (the national bitter drinks that aid in digestion). How they work, how to taste them critically and what to look for when buying them
  • The history of la Magna Grecia and how Puglia was capital of the Greek world for hundreds of years. How much of Puglia stills feels Greek today
  • The elements of baroque architecture and why Lecce is so important as a film town
  • How the unification of Italy was problematic and how the South should be probably be its own country
Friday Night Wine Class: Short Cooking Courses, Lecce, Italy

Taken from TripAdvisor

  • ‘We joined The Awaiting Table cooking class in Lecce and had the best time, maybe the best food we’ve ever eaten. Cooking it ourselves made the whole experience unforgettable and speaks volumes about how hands on and authentic the class is. It’s hard to believe such a magical cooking adventure exists’!
  • ‘We first met Silvestro during a one-day class back in October 2021 as part of a Puglia food tour. Even then, we were blown away by his depth of knowledge, his passion for Salento’s culinary traditions, and the way he paired incredible food with exceptional local wines. That brief introduction left a lasting impression—so much so that we knew we had to return for the full week-long experience. This time, we brought friends along, and it exceeded every expectation’.
  • ‘Conversations flowed just as easily as the wine: from the nuances of olive oil and amari, to the complexities of wine classification, to the art of Salento coffee and gelato. Silvestro is witty, welcoming, and incredibly knowledgeable. Whether you’re an accomplished cook or an enthusiastic beginner, you’ll feel at home in his kitchen’.
  • ‘One of the unexpected highlights was the camaraderie among the guests. Despite our varied cooking backgrounds, we all clicked and have become great friends. Sharing the joy of cooking and discovery in such an intimate setting really brought us together’.

Logistic at a Glance:

When: Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays and upon request

Length of course: From 10:00 to around 16:00

Taught in: English

Perquisite: No prior training needed

Cost: 185 Euro. (165 Euro per person with discount code: see below)

Meeting point: Under the column in Piazza Sant Oronzo. Lecce’s main square. See map below. DO NOT COME DIRECTLY TO THE SCHOOL

Parking: Via Adua (see map below). Arrive in Lecce early

The Awaiting Table Cooking School Map

Walking: You’ll need to walk about 4,000 steps but we do have stools in the kitchen for those that need them

Diet restrictions: We can offer gluten free pasta. Course is largely already vegetarian. Alert us when booking

Discount code: (See FAQ below)

Q: Is this a vegetarian course?
A: Yes and no. This course is an introduction to many of the traditional foods, wines and olive oils of Puglia. Many of them happen to be plant-based. The concept of, ’vegan’, tends to be a rejection of animal-based products, while Mediterranean dishes are often a celebration of a fruit or vegetable coming into season. It’s a subtle difference but one is repudiation of certain foods, the other is a celebration of things that come from the earth, when they are at their best. We do include grating cheese for those that want it on the three pastas.

Q: Does Puglia also produce olive oil? I thought most Italian oil was from Tuscany?
A: Each year Puglia produces between 45% and 55% of the national production of olive oil (Tuscany produces only about 4%). You’ll learn to critically taste three different extra virgin olive oils, from 3 different historic cultivars of olives. For many, the true taste of well-made extra virgin olive oil is startling.

Q: How many of the wines for this class are based on primitivo?
A: 80% of primitivo is exported outside of Italy each year. And this has always been true. This is why primitivo is synonymous with the wine of Puglia internationally but isn’t, domestically nor even regionally. Puglia is actually divided by 4 red wine grapes and very little if any of the non-local wine is consumed outside of its quadrant.

There are actually dizzying amount of autoctonous (indigenous) grapes here, with the emphasis moving away from big red towards whites and pinks (this is true nationally, since 2013, when Italy started to produce more whites and pinks than reds).

Q: Is parking an issue?
A: Nearly 100% of those that have arrived late underestimated European parking. We have a map of the best place to work in the city but consider arriving in Lecce and then have your morning coffee, here in the same piazza where we meet. Or take the local train to Lecce, even if you have a car (this makes more sense when you consider how freely the wine flows with meals with us). Arrive early, follow our advice and parking will quickly become a non-issue.

Q: What is the discount code?
A: It’s ‘I thoroughly read the course description’. Use this phrase in your introductory email to be eligible.

Q: Where are the wines sourced for this course?
A: Puglia produces more wine than all of Australia. There is an embarrassment of choice. For our normal courses all of our wines come from less than 25 kilometres from the school, made from grapes that have been here for at least 300 years.

As this course is an introduction to the region of Puglia, several of these wines are from much further away than our normal guidelines for sourcing.

Many on these courses find their favourite ‘new’ wines and continue to order them at home.

Introduction to Puglia in 6 Glasses

Puglia’s Wine & Pasta Masterclass

Master the production of three different pastas from Puglia- northern, central, southern- and pair them with Puglia’s 6 most iconic wines. Get to know extra virgin olive oil and amari and feast one of the prettiest private homes in the historic centre of Lecce

Take this class if you’d like:

* To take an architectural-driven stroll through the historical centre of Lecce
* To visit Lecce’s oldest food market, meet our trusted vendors by name
* To make pasta with your own hands with Italian food and wine-loving people from all over the world
* To taste six different wines from Puglia, from the mountainous north to the sunny south. Whites, pinks, reds*
* To enjoy an epic, wine-soaked feast in a private home in Puglia
* To cook in one of Italy’s prettiest kitchens
* To create and share a two hour feast with fellow students from all over the world, the conversation stimulating
* To understand the history and flavours of amari, Italy’s bitter after dinner drinks: you’ll taste at least 4
* To have all of your questions about Puglia, the food, wine, extra virgin, culture and history answered, leisurely, over wine.

You’ll learn:

  • How to shop for produce in Italy. Concepts, tactics and etiquette
  • How to mix, knead and shape three different pastas from Puglia. Understand how each province uses different flour/flours. How to prepare the 3 condiments (sauces) for the three pastas
  • How to prepare a local second course
  • How to prepare 4 local side dishes
  • How to discern the attributes and defects of extra virgin olive oil. Why so much of the world’s oil is fraudulent
  • How to taste wine: persistence, tannins, heat and fruit
  • How each is made: white, pink, red, orange, charmat and meted classico
  • The DOCs and DOCGs of Puglia. The idiosyncrasies of each
  • The structure of the meal in Italy and why restaurants outside of Italy don’t reflect that
  • The history of amari (the national bitter drinks that aid in digestion). How they work, how to taste them critically and what to look for when buying them
  • The history of la Magna Grecia and how Puglia was capital of the Greek world for hundreds of years. How much of Puglia stills feels Greek today
  • The elements of baroque architecture and why Lecce is so important as a film town
  • How the unification of Italy was problematic and how the South should be probably be its own country
Friday Night Wine Class: Short Cooking Courses, Lecce, Italy

Logistic at a Glance:

When: Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays and upon request

Length of course: From 10:00 to around 16:00

Taught in: English

Perquisite: No prior training needed

Cost: 185 Euro. (165 Euro per person with discount code: see below)

Meeting point: Under the column in Piazza Sant Oronzo. Lecce’s main square. See map below. DO NOT COME DIRECTLY TO THE SCHOOL

Parking: Via Adua (see map below). Arrive in Lecce early

The Awaiting Table Cooking School Map

Walking: You’ll need to walk about 4,000 steps but we do have stools in the kitchen for those that need them

Diet restrictions: We can offer gluten free pasta. Course is largely already vegetarian. Alert us when booking

Discount code: (See FAQ below)

Taken from TripAdvisor

  • ‘We joined The Awaiting Table cooking class in Lecce and had the best time, maybe the best food we’ve ever eaten. Cooking it ourselves made the whole experience unforgettable and speaks volumes about how hands on and authentic the class is. It’s hard to believe such a magical cooking adventure exists’!
  • ‘We first met Silvestro during a one-day class back in October 2021 as part of a Puglia food tour. Even then, we were blown away by his depth of knowledge, his passion for Salento’s culinary traditions, and the way he paired incredible food with exceptional local wines. That brief introduction left a lasting impression—so much so that we knew we had to return for the full week-long experience. This time, we brought friends along, and it exceeded every expectation’.
  • ‘Conversations flowed just as easily as the wine: from the nuances of olive oil and amari, to the complexities of wine classification, to the art of Salento coffee and gelato. Silvestro is witty, welcoming, and incredibly knowledgeable. Whether you’re an accomplished cook or an enthusiastic beginner, you’ll feel at home in his kitchen’.
  • ‘One of the unexpected highlights was the camaraderie among the guests. Despite our varied cooking backgrounds, we all clicked and have become great friends. Sharing the joy of cooking and discovery in such an intimate setting really brought us together’.

Q: Is this a vegetarian course?
A: Yes and no. This course is an introduction to many of the traditional foods, wines and olive oils of Puglia. Many of them happen to be plant-based. The concept of, ’vegan’, tends to be a rejection of animal-based products, while Mediterranean dishes are often a celebration of a fruit or vegetable coming into season. It’s a subtle difference but one is repudiation of certain foods, the other is a celebration of things that come from the earth, when they are at their best. We do include grating cheese for those that want it on the three pastas.

Q: Does Puglia also produce olive oil? I thought most Italian oil was from Tuscany?
A: Each year Puglia produces between 45% and 55% of the national production of olive oil (Tuscany produces only about 4%). You’ll learn to critically taste three different extra virgin olive oils, from 3 different historic cultivars of olives. For many, the true taste of well-made extra virgin olive oil is startling.

Q: How many of the wines for this class are based on primitivo?
A: 80% of primitivo is exported outside of Italy each year. And this has always been true. This is why primitivo is synonymous with the wine of Puglia internationally but isn’t, domestically nor even regionally. Puglia is actually divided by 4 red wine grapes and very little if any of the non-local wine is consumed outside of its quadrant.

There are actually dizzying amount of autoctonous (indigenous) grapes here, with the emphasis moving away from big red towards whites and pinks (this is true nationally, since 2013, when Italy started to produce more whites and pinks than reds).

Q: Is parking an issue?
A: Nearly 100% of those that have arrived late underestimated European parking. We have a map of the best place to work in the city but consider arriving in Lecce and then have your morning coffee, here in the same piazza where we meet. Or take the local train to Lecce, even if you have a car (this makes more sense when you consider how freely the wine flows with meals with us). Arrive early, follow our advice and parking will quickly become a non-issue.

Q: What is the discount code?
A: It’s ‘I thoroughly read the course description’. Use this phrase in your introductory email to be eligible.

Q: Where are the wines sourced for this course?
A: Puglia produces more wine than all of Australia. There is an embarrassment of choice. For our normal courses all of our wines come from less than 25 kilometres from the school, made from grapes that have been here for at least 300 years.

As this course is an introduction to the region of Puglia, several of these wines are from much further away than our normal guidelines for sourcing.

Many on these courses find their favourite ‘new’ wines and continue to order them at home.