It's easy to place Salento in a geographical context. Because there it is, a peninsula barely fifty kilometers wide, deep in southeastern Italy, disputed between two seas, the Ionian and the Adriatic.

There are a hundred towns, a million inhabitants, and then there are the vines, which, in the Salento region, come mainly in two local varieties: Negroamaro and Primitivo.

The total surface area of Azienda Agricola Francesco Marra is 70 hectares, with vineyards covering 25 hectares, and occupying the most suitable land for growing vines: red soil rich in clay, iron and potassium, but poor in organic substances, where long summer periods of high temperatures and incessant drought cause the vines to suffer enough to express themselves with dense, complex, tasty wines with a Mediterranean flavour.

Selection

Negroamaro

There are the Negroamaros of Salento, and then there's Francesco Marra's Negroamaro. Produced from old vines at least 50 years old. Harvested by hand in crates. Destemming without crushing. Immersion in 15 hl oak vats. Spontaneous fermentation and manual crushing. No clarification or filtration. Steel aging for 18 months. No sulfites added.

The result of this patient work is a wine of absolute dynamism. The expressive power of Negroamaro is found in so much substance and yet lightness: a result that few achieve. Negroamaro has an intense ruby-red color. On the nose, notes of ripe red fruit, berries and black cherry jam emerge, accompanied by typically Mediterranean aromatic herbs.

The alcohol content is high but barely perceptible in the glass, supported by a pleasant acidity that balances hard and soft substances. A wine of fine, refined character, for which we thank Francesco for an interpretation of finesse reminiscent of France. Francesco Marra's Negroamaro goes well with game, stewed meats, mature cheeses and structured starters.