Masserie Pizari Negroamaro, Salento Rosso IGT, Puglia, Italy 2020

Masserie Pizari is in the “heel” of Italy in southern Salento, between Gallipoli and Leuca, in the Feudo d’Ugento (the ancient “Ozan”) in an area where Negroamaro and Primitivo vines have been grown for centuries, in fact there are 3 hectares of vines “en goblet” that are over 60 years old. The area is called “Conca d’oro” (Golden Conch) and the soils are clayey, red and rich in potassium. The vineyards are a few kilometers from the sea and it is rare to find such an extension of agricultural land in this position. Giordano and Francesco are supported by oenologist (an “orthodox” oenologist according to Giordano) Andrea Boaretti, a Venetian who is devoted to the Salento region and who consults for other wineries in Puglia. The cellars, that have been totally restructured, are located right next to the old Salento “Sud-Est” railway and were built in the 1930s by a Piedmontese who used to grow grapes and send them north. Only the best clusters are used to make the Salento Rosso Negroamaro, the Salento Rosato Negroamaro and the Salento Rosso Primitivo; grape yield is kept low and temperature control in the vats keeps the fermentation process even (which is quite an achievement in such a hot climate!). The result is fresh, fruity and flawless wines that give a pure taste of this secluded and beautiful part of Italy.