Negroamaro (seldom Negro amaro; meaning "black ndbitter") is a red

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

variety native to

southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

. It is grown almost exclusively in

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

and particularly in

Salento Salento (; Salentino dialect, Salentino: ''Salentu''; Griko language, Salento Griko: ) is a Cultural area, cultural, List of historical states of Italy, historical, and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apuli ...

, 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 Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

and

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

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 Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

''mavro'' also meaning "black". If the latter theory is correct, ''mavro'' may share a root with ''merum'', a wine brought to Apulia by

Illyria In classical and late antiquity, Illyria (; , ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; , ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians. The Ancient Gree ...

n colonists before the Greeks arrived in the 7th century BC. Horace and other Roman writers mention ''mera tarantina'' from

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

, and Pliny the Elder describes

Manduria Manduria is a city and ''comune'' of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Taranto. With c. 32,000 inhabitants (2013), it is located east of Taranto. Etymology The name ''Manduria'' is thought to derive from a Proto-Indo-European stem ''*mond- ...

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 Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

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 Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin , "blood of Jove, Jupiter". Sangiovese Grosso, used for traditionally powerful and slow maturing red wines, is primarily grown in the central regions of Italy ...

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,

Montepulciano Montepulciano () is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It sits high on a limestone ridge, east of Pienza, southeast of Siena, southeast of Florence, and north of Rome ...

. 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 Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While it is common to refer to this as champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that word for products exclusively produced in the Champagne r ...

List of permitted DOC wines

''Source'' 85%–100% Negroamaro: * in the

province of Lecce The province of Lecce (; Salentino: ) is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lecce. The province is called the "Heel of Italy". Located on the Salento peninsula, it is the second most-populous province in Ap ...

** Leverano Negroamaro Rosato ** Leverano Negroamaro Rosso * in the

province of Taranto The province of Taranto (; Tarantino: ; Salentino: ), previously known as the province of the Ionian, is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Taranto. It has an area of , and a total population of 581,092 (2017). ...

** 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 Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

and Lecce ** Salice Salentino ** Salice Salentino Rosato ** Salice Salentino Rosso ** Salice Salentino Rosso Riserva 70%–100% Negroamaro: * in the province of Brindisi ** Brindisi Rosato **

Brindisi Rosso Brindisi Rosso is a red DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) wine from the Southern Italian province of Brindisi, in the region of Apulia. The official appellation was granted on November 22, 1979, when a presidential decree was published in ...

Brindisi Rosso Riserva Brindisi Rosso is a red DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) wine from the Southern Italian province of Brindisi, in the region of Apulia. The official appellation was granted on November 22, 1979, when a presidential decree was published in t ...

* 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: * in the province of Lecce ** Galatina Rosso 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 The province of Foggia (, ; Neapolitan language, Foggiano: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Regions of Italy, Italian region Apulia. This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygians, Iapygian pre-Roman tribe livi ...

** Rosso di Cerignola ** Rosso di Cerignola Riserva

List of permitted IGT wines

''Source'' 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.

References

External links

VIVC Bibliography
{{Wines Red wine grape varieties Wine grapes of Italy Wine grapes of Apulia