Negroamaro, an indigenous vine of Puglia which has its area of choice in Salento, has an ancient history.
Here is a brief identikit of Negroamaro and the wines that are created from this grape.
With black grapes, negroamaro owes its name to the dark color (with violet reflections) of its wines and the strong taste it imparts.
Brought to Italy by the Greeks, Negroamaro is among the oldest vines in Italy, today it is cultivated across approximately 32 thousand hectares; it is particularly widespread between Taranto, Brindisi and Lecce.
Negroamaro loves warm, little rainy climates and is harvested rather late, between the end of September and the beginning of October.
The grapes appear in medium-sized, cone-shaped bunches . Negroamaro berries are medium-large and oval in size.
A dry grape with character, Negroamaro gives its wines intriguing aromas and flavors, all played around red fruit, with hints of spices and liquorice .
Negroamaro has historically been used as a blending wine, to give color and alcohol content to other wines (especially those from northern Italy, but also French and northern European wines). Today the potential of negroamaro has finally been rediscovered, blended with other grapes but also in purity.
Vinified in red , Negroamaro is versatile but goes perfectly especially with meat-based second courses.
But it is the rosé version from negroamaro that is enjoying the greatest success today. Vinified in pink (with a part of Malvasia), this grape gave life to the first Italian Rosé , produced in Salento in 1943 ( Five Roses by Leone de Castris). In the pink version, it is an excellent wine with fish but also perfect alone, as an aperitif.
The serving temperature is 16-17° C for the red, while at least 3 degrees less for the rosé.
It lends its name to a famous Salento rock band and in June 2018 it was the absolute protagonist of our selection, dedicated to the Rosés of Salento .
