Let’s kick off the new year with something a little off the beaten path. I am all about getting folks to try new wines, to stretch out their palate horizons. What happens, is they find out that there are many great wines available that are not Cab, Merlot, Zin, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay. If you seek out my pick for January, it may be the first time you have ever tried this type of wine made from the grape Negroamaro. Granted, you may have went to your favorite Italian restaurant and the server advised you to try a certain wine with your dish. It could have been this very wine and you were not aware, because like with many European wines, if you are not familiar with the region and the type of grapes they grow there, you are not going to know what it is. Really, all most of us are concerned with is whether or not it is going to be good. Screw the grape variety…Right?
Negroamaro is the grape of Puglia (among others of course), which is in southern Italy. The name Negroamaro literally means…Negro (black), amaro (bitter), or the black bitter. The problem is, the name does not do the wine justice. There is another school of thought on this, and that is that the name means “the darker dark” which is probably more accurate for this grape and the wines that are produced from it. The pick for this month is not only very good, it’s also very inexpensive. So there is no reason you shouldn’t try it and mark it in your palate experiences for the year.
’15 Contrade Negroamaro
(Puglia, Italy)
2015 Contrade Negroamaro (Puglia, Italy)… $9.
Aromas of blackberries, licorice and crushed rock with a kiss of vanilla and red flowers. Blackberry, currant and licorice notes penetrate the palate front to finish with a backdrop of white pepper and crushed rock. It expands on the mid-palate into a tobacco dominate finish, backed by blackberry and currant notes with a kiss of iron. This wine has excellent balance, is a “10” in the delicious category, and has the old world feel without getting rustic. This is a ton of wine for the money and certainly deserves the first spot in 2018. (B/B+)
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
