WTN: Salento Negroamaro 2004

A great new discovery for me! I am loving the more "rustic" Italian wines. This is one of the first Southern Italian wines I've really sat down and "noticed."

As the name's etymology suggests this wine was inky black and a little bitter. Nose was a little closed but sdtill nice. Some nice blackberry fruit and good acid. What I really enjoyed was the sharp tobacco? and a tiny touch of leather character of the wine-especially on the finish. A fantastic wine of the year? Not really--but I sure prefer it to soft fruit bombs in the same price range. The waitress admitted that not everyone likes this style, though.

Given the $13 price ($9 on the net) and the exoticness of the wine and the amazing inky black color, I'm actually going to rate this simple IGT Table Wine ****. I'll be back to pick up more!

I love Tuco's Wine Bar in Davis. Exemplifies how a good wine shop or wine bar can really help educate you. (Awesome food helps). It's a great education, even if their prices are not always the lowest (they are decent, though). Sure, the internet is cheaper, but the internet won't pour me an extra taste of Staglin Cab!

Did you forget to mention the producer, or did I just miss it?

Did you forget to mention the producer, or did I just miss it?

I assume that "Salento" was the producer-but if it's the region/commune instead, then I'll fill in the details on Friday or Saturday when I buy a bottle. (I had only limited cash with me last night, and one of my New Years Resolutions was that the little plastic card does NOT come out to buy wine anymore

Andrew, I believe that Salento is the region that the wine is from and I believe the best known producer there is Taurino, whom I think is a doctor, or that might be an honorary title. Salento is a sub region of Puglia, which is the region that forms the "heel" portion of Italy's "boot". Some very good wines come from this region, very much in the QPR/bargain level price wise. Another very good wine and even less expensive than Notarpanaro is one called Salice )Pronounced "Sal-ee-chee".

Salice Salentino, Bob H lets have a glass during Chat tonite!!! Hows your weather Bob H? Big problems up here today with good old style blizzard.

Salice Salentino, Bob H lets have a glass during Chat tonite!!! Hows your weather Bob H? Big problems up here today with good old style blizzard.

Not sure if I have any Salice Bob, but I will take a look.

OK. Quick run to Davis tonight. The producer of the wine is Forte Canto; Vin. Ap, s.r.l.; Monteroni di Lecce

From website: Small Vineyards is a Seattle-based importer specializing in family-owned, hand-harvested, old-vine wines from Italy. Josh Hansen and his partners taste 200 to 300 wines a month and choose 1 percent of them to import.

"I love power with restraint," Hansen explains. "I want wines that surprise me." This complex southern Italian red certainly does that. With its pungent mix of herb and animal, fruit and mineral, it comes on like Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Amazing quality for the price. (LBV)

I agree with this description.

[Jenise]

Ah, what I suspected. Josh is a great guy, very stylish too. The time I met him I thought his shoes cost more than my house. But I digress...loved the Forte Canto too. Come summer, look for their sensational rose of negroamaro.

As a note, Salice Salentino is Negroamaro based (85%) .... ad it results a nit sweeter and rounter than Negroamaro.

Lovely wine area ... maybe because I grew there

Francesco

That's quite a food blog, Francesco! I haven't eaten all day, and I know my crude cooking skills will be alcking comparared to some of those dishes!