2005 Tormaresca Negroamaro-Cabernet Puglia

Tormaresca is made up of two Puglia estates, both owned by the Antinori family, who started buying vineyard properties in Puglia in the late 1990s. The Bocca di Lupo estate of 250 vineyard acres is in the Castel del Monte AOC, in the northern Puglia. Aglianico, Fiano, Moscato and Cabernet Sauvignon are grown at Bocca di Lupo. The Masseria Maime estate of 625 acres is in the south, along the Adriatic coast, and it is planted to Negromaro, Primitivo, and other grapes. The estate makes red, white and sparkling wines. Gambero Rosso has frequently awarded 3 glass recognition to Tormaresca’s Torcicoda, which is 100% Primitivo, and Masseria Maime, Negromaro.

Puglia has more acres of vineyards than any other region in Italy except Sicily. Located in the southeast in the “heel” of boot-shaped Italy, it enjoys a hot, sunny climate moderated by Puglia’s location on the Adriatic and the Gulf of Taranto. Puglia has 275,00 vineyard acres, four DOCGs and 29 DOCs. For most of its long winemaking history – started, it is believed, by the Ancient Greeks – Puglia shipped off its prodigious grape harvests to other parts of Italy, where it was used to give backbone to less robust wines. Local Puglian wines were made in cooperatives, and were not especially notable. But as state funding of coops dried up in the 1990s, some local growers started marketing their own wines and quality producers from other parts of Italy moved into Puglia. Antinori purchased two estates in the 1990s and now makes its Tormaresca wines in Puglia, among others. Red, white and rosé wines are made. The big, fruity red Puglian wines are often made from Negromaro, the most-planted grape in Puglia, and Primitivo, which is genetically linked to Zinfandel. White wines are made from Bombino Bianco, Verdeca and Chardonnay.