Negroamaro (seldom Negro amaro; meaning "black and bitter") is a red wine grape variety native to southern Italy. It is grown almost exclusively in Apulia and particularly in Salento, the peninsula which can be visualised as the "heel" of Italy. The grape can produce wines very deep in color. Wines made from Negroamaro tend to be very rustic in character, combining perfume with an earthy bitterness. The grape produces some of the best red wines of Apulia, particularly when blended with the highly scented Malvasia Nera, as in the case of Salice Salentino.
History and Etymology
While
negro is from an
Italian language and
Latin word meaning "black", there is some dispute as to whether
amaro is from the Italian word for "bitter" or whether it derives from the ancient
Greek language mavro also meaning "black".
[There are still enclaves of Salento where Griko language, a form of Greek, is spoken.] If the latter theory is correct,
mavro may share a root with
merum, a wine brought to Apulia by
colonists before the Greeks arrived in the 7th century BC. Horace and other Roman writers mention
mera tarantina from
Taranto, and Pliny the Elder describes
Manduria as
viticulosa (full of vineyards). But after the fall of the Roman Empire winemaking declined until it was only kept alive in the monasteries - Benedictine on Murgia and Greek Orthodox in Salento. Negroamaro could be the grape used in
merum, or it could have been brought by traders from the home of wine-making in
Asia Minor at any point in the last 8,000 years.
Negroamaro precoce has recently been identified as a distinct clone.
RAPD analysis suggests that the cultivar is loosely related to Verdicchio (Verdeca) and Sangiovese.[Fanizza et al. (1999) The effect of the number of RAPD markers on the evaluation of genotypic distances in Vitis vinifera Euphytica 107: 45–50]
Distribution and wines
The grapes are used exclusively for wine-making. Although 100% varietal wines are produced, Negroamaro is more commonly used as the dominant component of a blend including such varieties as
Malvasia Nera,
Sangiovese or Montepulciano. The most common version of these wines is red, however also rosato versions are gaining traction and some white versions are also present. Moreover, they are usually still and more rarely
frizzante.
List of permitted DOC wines
Source[ DOC wines made from the Negroamaro grape from the website of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry]
85%–100% Negroamaro:
-
in the province of Lecce
-
Leverano Negroamaro Rosato
-
Leverano Negroamaro Rosso
-
in the province of Taranto
-
Lizzano Negroamaro Rosato
-
Lizzano Negroamaro Rosso
-
Lizzano Negroamaro Rosso Superiore
85%–100% Negroamaro:
-
in the province of Lecce
-
Alezio Riserva
-
Alezio Rosato
-
Alezio Rosso
-
Nardo' Rosato
-
Nardo' Rosso
-
Nardo' Rosso Riserva
-
in the provinces of Brindisi and Lecce
-
Salice Salentino
-
Salice Salentino Rosato
-
Salice Salentino Rosso
-
Salice Salentino Rosso Riserva
70%–100% Negroamaro:
-
in the province of Brindisi
-
in the province of Lecce
-
Copertino Rosato
-
Copertino Rosso
-
Copertino Rosso Riserva
-
Matino Rosato
-
Matino Rosso
-
in the provinces of Brindisi and Lecce
-
Squinzano Rosato
-
Squinzano Rosso
-
Squinzano Rosso Riserva
65%–100% Negroamaro:
60%–80% Negroamaro:
-
in the province of Taranto
-
Lizzano
-
Lizzano Rosato
-
Lizzano Rosato Frizzante
-
Lizzano Rosato Giovane
-
Lizzano Rosato Spumante
-
Lizzano Rosso
-
Lizzano Rosso Frizzante
-
Lizzano Rosso Giovane
50%–100% Negroamaro:
-
in the province of Lecce
-
Leverano Novello
-
Leverano Rosato
-
Leverano Rosso
-
Leverano Rosso Riserva
15%–30% Negroamaro:
-
in the province of Foggia
-
Rosso di Cerignola
-
Rosso di Cerignola Riserva
List of permitted IGT wines
Source[ IGT wines made from the Negroamaro grape from the website of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry]
85%–100% Negroamaro:
-
Puglia Negroamaro
-
Puglia Negroamaro frizzante
-
Puglia Negroamaro novello
-
Valle d’Itria Negroamaro
-
Valle d’Itria Negroamaro frizzante
-
Valle d’Itria Negroamaro novello
-
Salento Negroamaro
-
Salento Negroamaro frizzante
-
Salento Negroamaro novello
-
Daunia Negroamaro
-
Daunia Negroamaro frizzante
70%–100% Negroamaro:
-
Salento Rosato Negroamaro
-
Salento Rosato Negroamaro frizzante
70%–80% Negroamaro:
-
Tarantino Negroamaro
-
Tarantino Negroamaro frizzante
Vine and viticulture
The vine is vigorous and high-yielding with a preference for calcareous and limey soils but adapting readily to others. It is well suited to Puglia’s hot summers and exhibits good drought resistance. The grapes, carried in bunches of around 300–350 g, are oval in form, medium-large in size with thick skins, and black-violet in colour. They ripen mid-season (late September–early October). The first American producer of Negroamaro is Chiarito Vineyards in Ukiah, California (Mendocino County).
Synonyms
Abbruzzese, Abruzzese, Albese, Amaro Nero, Amaronero, Arbese, Arbise, Jonico, Lacrima, Lacrimo, Mangia Verde, Mangiaverde, Mangiaverme, Morese, Negra Della Lorena, Negramaro, Nero Amaro, Nero Leccese, Nicra Amaro, Niuri Maru, Niuru Maru, San Lorenzo, San Marzuno, Uva cane.
See also
-
Primitivo, a similar grape from the region better known in USA as Zinfandel.
Further reading
External links
