Inimitable Negroamaro

Inimitable Negroamaro
Puglia
Vino
Magazine: August 2007

On the southern tip of Apulia where Italy ends, there is land where the seas meet and the coastal landscapes are evocative and bewitching. It Is Salento! The cultivation of the Negroamaro grapes dates back to the Greek colonization era (7th century B.C.). Despite the farming diffi culties caused by its earliness and very thin peel, it has always been the treasure of the Salento wine-dressers. Alessandro Candido of the Candido Company tells the story. “The Negroamaro grapes were like daily bread to the vine-dressers of Salento. Every Monday morning the portion of grapes was transported in wagonloads by rail along the Galliano-Canosa iron steps. When the market began turning to the bottled wines”, explains Gino Vallone of the Valle dell’Asso company, “many farmers gave up their vineyards in order to receive the explantation subsidy. The damage to the area was incalculable, since no other type of agriculture replaced the vineyards”.

Pure or mixed with black Malvasia, Primitivo or Montepulciano or with a small percentage of Cabernet, this wine can become a fascinating Rosé or a magnificent Red

The Glass and the Dish
Negroamaro has become an emblem for the territory’s captivating natural and gourmet characteristics. Pure or blended with black Malvasia, Primitivo, Montepulciano or small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon it can become a fragrant, full-bodied and intriguing rosé, or a magnifi cent red conveying elegance and softness. The evolved fruity and curing bouquet distinguishes this dry, austere and smooth wine. Negroamaro is also a faithful companion of the Salentine specialty dishes, such as homemade pasta, the renowned ‘ sagne nacannulate’ with meatballs accompanied by the veal rolls sauce, lamb, gnomirelli, or giblet rolls tied with entrails comprising the traditional dish where nothing was discarded.

And then
there was oil…
The life in a hypogenous oil mill was full of suffering. Invented by the Basilio’s monks from the Byzantium court the underground oil mills excavated in tuff were the emblems of the dramatic custom, essential to obtain the ‘liquid gold’ through long manufacturing process. Fortunately, the oil as a resource for Salento is still precious, but no longer the source of suffering and hardship. Salento olive tree plantations are at Cellina Scorranese and Ogliarola where expand millenary olive gardens. Intriguing and delicate are the citrus fl avoured oils from the Duca Carlo Guarini wine growers and producers.