Negroamaro is a dark horse. It is one of those wines that tends to sit quietly on the shelf awaiting its next passerby. If you have had it before, then you likely think about buying it when you are standing in the Italian section of a wine store. If you haven’t, you uncomfortably look at it with a “side eye glance” wondering what the heck it is and shake in your boots at the thought of buying something with such a brooding name. [cue dun-dun-dun music]
…at least that is how I “experience” Negroamaro. [shrugs shoulders]
The name literally means “black bitter”, and this wine hails from the region of Puglia in southern Italy, where it produces medium to full bodied wines with dark, black fruit and spice notes.
The Contrade Negroamaro showed itself with a rustic bitterness, dark fruit, dark chocolate, minerality, and some notes of crushed thyme. The palate was dry, with high acidity, medium bodied (think 2% milk), and was an extension of its bouquet characteristics with black tea notes in addition to cured meats and pepper. The finish was medium-long in length and hinted at black olives. A fantastic value wine! It over-delivers for the price.
I served this vino with sausage and spinach gnocchetti, and it paired really well with it! If you have not had a chance to try this red wine, I would encourage you to. For wine lovers who really enjoy Malbec, this will give you a new adventure in the dark-wine-that-is-spicy category. Then let me know what you think!
ABV: 13.5%
Grape: Negroamaro
Production: Unknown
Price: ~$20.00 CAD
Have you ever had Negroamaro? What did you think of it?
Cheers!
The Demystified Vine
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The Demystified Vine 