If You’re in Italy, Try This Wine From a Small Region in the South

Glasses of wine
Photo by Kelsey Knight on Unsplash

In Italy’s southern Salento region, recognizable as the heel of the country’s boot shape, a couple of special grapes grow that make exquisite wines. One is called Negroamaro, and it is a dark-skinned grape from which dark, tannic, berry-like wine is created. This wine is valuable and delicious and is much more expensive and rare outside of Italy. Here is why you should try ordering it if you are ever in Italy.

Ancient Roots

The Negroamaro grape is native to the Salento region and has been grown there for over a thousand years. You can find wines today that are grown from vineyards that are nearly a hundred years old. This means the grapes are authentic and the wine that comes from them is wholly unique.

Climate

There are a couple of other vineyards that grow these grapes in other parts of the world including California and Australia, but none are as successful or as old as in Salento. The grape flourishes in the arid heat of the Southern Puglia region, needing little water and surviving year after year.

The Name

The name “Negroamaro” is thought to come from the wine’s color and taste. “Negro,” meaning black, refers to the grape’s very dark color. “Amaro”, meaning bitter, comes from its special bitter, tannic flavor hinted with spices and berries.