Blog: Negroamaro | Grape variety

NegroamaroNegroamaro is one of the most famous wines of Puglia, the dark-skinned grape has been associated with southern Italy for more than 1500 years. The grape is most often found as a component of cuvees, along with grape varieties such as Primitivo, Malvasia Nera, Sangiovese or Montepulciano. The juice of the grapes is appreciated for its dark color, medium-bodied tannins, and dark berry fruit in the aroma. Negroamaro can also take on earthy tones to subtle medicinal hints. The mild aroma sometimes produces wines of complex characteristics that captivate with notes of cloves, cinnamon and allspice.

The Apulian Salento peninsula is undoubtedly the source of the finest Negroamaro wines, the most famous being those marketed under the DOC Salice Salentino. The warm, Mediterranean climate suits the grape variety enormously well, resulting in perfect ripeness. As a relatively heat-resistant variety, Negroamaro rarely has a problem with the region's scarce rainfall.

There are two different views on the origin of the name Negroamaro: first, there is the modern Italian translation where 'negro' means black and 'amaro' means bitter. This is a reference to the dark color of the wine and its savory, dry taste. However, the sunny, southern Italian climate produces wines of relatively high residual sweetness - which is why the word 'bitter' should not be taken too literally. Another view sees the origin of the name in a Latin-Greek interpretation and means something like 'dark black" - also a reference to the dark color of Negroamaro wine. - Gerardo [TS07/23]