| Feudo di San Nicola, Puglia | |
Puglia, long known for producing bulk wines of mediocre quality, is quickly finding itself in the middle of a fun evolution as private investment begins to change the face of the region. There is plenty of water available in this fertile plain and the hot, dry weather is very conducive to producing quality, ripe fruit. The red wine scene in this heel of the boot portion of Italy is about Primitivo and Negro Amaro. Primitivo is the Italian grape genetically linked to Zinfandel and Negro Amaro is a bolder, more robust grape with bigger tannins. While Negro Amaro is considered the most structured, age worthy red, Primitivo has emerged as the most consumer-friendly offering with its soft fruit and mild, oak-aged flavors. Both of the San Nicola wines are rich and soft on the palate showing round, ripe fruit and sweet tannins.
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| Terre do Sole, Sicily | |
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The fruit for Terre di Sole comes from a samll Sicilian producer specializing in Sangovese and Nero d'Avola. The fruit is then trucked to
a top quality facility in the Veneto to take advantage of a technologically advanced winery and top grade equipment for bottling. These wines are
nicely concentrated with ripe fruit and bare beautifullly made for the value prices they offer. They are perfect complements for pasta or pizza. The
Sangiovese is wonderfully deep and rich for an everyday "house red" while the Nero d'Avola is a more complex and polished wine with solid
complexity but still at a very competitive price.
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| Petraio, Apulia | |
| This wine is made from Sangiovese grapes grown in the sunny southern Italian region of Apulia. The fruit is sourced from vineyards 10-15 years old and the fruit is all hand picked. Fermentation and maceration occurs with the skins on for 12-15 days and malolactic fermentation is in steel tanks only. Ripe, and medium-bodied, this house Sangiovese is supple with smoth and silky tannins and quite a long finish for a wine so inexpensive. | |