Digging Italian Wines

Posted on September 12, 2008 by Sonadora


When I went to visit my parents over July 4th, we stopped in at Branford Wine and Spirits. Jay, the owner, was asking me what kinds of Italian reds I like, and I mentioned how much I had enjoyed several bottles of Negroamara last winter. He pulled out this bottle and sent it home with me to try.

We drank this on its own the other night, the 2006 Tormaresca Neprica. The wine is a blend of 40% Negroamara, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30% Primitivo. It clocks in at 13% alcohol by volume, has a real cork closure, and appears to run between $10-$15.

On the nose I found chocolate covered cherries, cherry cordials, currants, wood, choclate, and licorice. The nose had a bit of heat, which was odd at 13% alcohol, but it blew off quickly. The mouth showed cherries, raspberries, herbs, bitters, and licorice. The flavor had that nice bitter quality that draws me to the Negroamara grape. Overall, the wine was smooth, integrated, and well balanced. Very food friendly, certainly helps continue my affair with Negroamara!

Filed under: Branford Wine and Spirits, Connecticut, Italy, Negroamara, Red | Comments Off on Digging Italian Wines

It’s Raining Italian Reds

Posted on January 15, 2008 by Sonadora

The wine for the evening was a 2005 Rosso Salento Promessa. It was a blend, 70% Negroamara and 30% Primitivo. I picked the bottle up at the Winery in Old Town Alexandria for $12.99 minus a 10% case discount. It clocked in at 13% alcohol by volume and had a real cork closure.

The nose of the wine smelled bitter, of coffee, licorice, cherry, leather, and earth. In the mouth I found bitter cherry, alongside fresh cherries, and an almost cranberry flavor. The wine was smooth, but had a nice tart element. It was a very dark wine.

I’m really enjoying the value I’m finding in native Italian varietals. For around $10, I feel like I got a lot of bang for my buck with this wine, and quite a complex bottle too. Very good value.

Filed under: Italy, Negroamara, Red, The Winery | 2 Comments »

More Negroamara

Posted on November 15, 2007 by Sonadora

Apparently I’ve either been spelling “Negromara” wrong or there are several ways to spell it since this one was spelled “Negroamara” though regardless of how this is spelled, the lack of information about this bottle on the internet is definitely immense.

The bottle was a 2005 Villa Mottura Negroamara from the Puglia region of Italy. I picked this bottle up at UnWined in Alexandria for $9.99. I know it had a real cork closure, but Matt tossed the bottle (again) before I could record the alcohol by volume.

On the nose I found raisins, currants, and raspberries. I also noted a peppery aroma and a smoky note similar to the Negroamara I drank for WBW-Go Native. In the mouth the wine was dark with fresh raspberries and a bit bitter, but not exactly bitter in the same way our last bottle of Negroamara was.

Overall the wine was smooth and dark and I thought I detected something slightly meaty about the wine. I like it and fro $9.99 it’s definitely a good value.

Filed under: Italy, Negroamara, Red | 4 Comments »