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

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are ...

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry (botany), berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non-Climacteric (botany), climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of ...

variety native to

southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

. It is grown almost exclusively in Apulia and particularly in

Salento Salento ( Salentino: ''Salentu'', Salentino Griko: ''Σαλέντο'') is a cultural, historical and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apulia in Southern Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the Italian Peninsul ...

, 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 Malvasia (, also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world. I ...

, as in the case of Salice Salentino.

History and Etymology

While ''negro'' is from an Italian and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

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: Greece 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 ...

''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 antiquity, Illyria (; grc, Ἰλλυρία, ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; la, Illyria, ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyr ...

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

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label=Tarantino dialect, Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an ...

, 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 Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

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 Verdicchio (, also , ) is a white Italian wine grape variety grown primarily in the Marche region of central Italy.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 195 Oxford University Press 1996 The name ''Verdicchio'' derives from ' ...

(Verdeca) and

Sangiovese Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grape ...

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

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 Rom ...

. These wines are red, or sometimes rosato, and are usually still; though both red and rosato versions may be

frizzante Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While the phrase commonly refers to champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that term for products exclusively produced in the Champagne regi ...

List of permitted DOC wines

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

province of Lecce The Province of Lecce ( it, Provincia di Lecce; Salentino: ) is a province in the Apulia region of Italy whose capital is the city of Lecce. The province is called the "Heel of Italy". Located on the Salento peninsula, it is the second most ...

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

province of Taranto The province of Taranto ( it, provincia di 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 popu ...

** 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 ** 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 ...

** Brindisi Rosso Riserva * 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 ( it, Provincia di Foggia ; Foggiano: ) is a province in the Apulia (Puglia) region of southern Italy. This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygian pre-Roman tribe living in Tavoliere plain, and ...

** 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 Drought tolerance is the ability to which a plant maintains its biomass production during arid or drought conditions. Some plants are naturally adapted to dry conditions'','' surviving with protection mechanisms such as desiccation tolerance, detox ...

. 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