2017-C Cantine Risveglio '72100' Negroamaro, Salento IGP, Puglia, Italy (750ml)   

A Monthly Wine Club Selection
Dark plum robe with a touch of purple at the rim. Intense, complex aromatics of ripe, red fruits, cola, cracked pepper and a touch of smoke. The palate is fresh, with flavors of baked blackberry and ripe boysenberry. There is a touch of dusty tannin on the finish in this otherwise soft, round, juicy summer red.

Founded in 1958 by a small group of independent winemakers, Cantine Risveglio is not only a coop, but one of the most important wine producers in the Brindisi province. It was created to encourage and consolidate the bargaining power of local winemakers who decided that together they could do more. Brindisi is a town and coastal wine region in the Puglia province of Southern Italy with a rich history and tradition of wine making. It occupies a key location along the historic Roman trade route making it the Gateway to the East—locals sold not only wine, but salt and olive oil imported from the empire's Mediterranean provinces. Negroamaro is a black grape variety, grown all over Puglia and most famously in in the southern part of the region, known as the Salento, which includes the province of Brindisi. Negroamaro derives its name from the fusion of the Greek word mavros and the Latin word niger, both meaning black—referring to the  grape’s dark color—Negroamaro literally means black-black. Like many Italian grape varietals, the origin of Negroamaro is uncertain, though it was most likely brought to Italy by the Greeks in the 8th century, making it one of Italy’s most ancient vines. Sourced from old vine (50 - 60-year-old) Negroamaro vineyards in Brindisi, the grapes for this spicy red wine were hand-harvested and carefully sorted before being fermented for 15-20 days in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. The resulting wine was aged for four months in oak and a subsequent 4 months in stainless-steel before being bottled.