Discover Negroamaro Red Wines
Explore our selection of Negroamaro wines from Puglia, Italy's sun-drenched southern region. This indigenous variety produces bold, full-bodied red wines with distinctive dark fruit character, velvety tannins, and exceptional food versatility, showcasing the authentic flavours of Italy's Mediterranean heel.
Negroamaro: Puglia's Noble Variety
Negroamaro is one of southern Italy's most important indigenous grape varieties, with its name deriving from a combination of Latin 'niger' (black) and Greek 'mavro' (also meaning black), creating the evocative 'black-black' reference to the variety's deeply pigmented skins. This ancient variety has been cultivated in Puglia for centuries, perfectly adapted to the region's warm Mediterranean climate and producing wines of remarkable depth and character.
Negroamaro is a late-ripening variety that thrives in hot, dry conditions, developing thick skins that contribute intense colour, robust tannins, and concentrated flavours. The variety's natural vigour and heat tolerance make it ideally suited to Puglia's climate, where it achieves optimal ripeness whilst maintaining balanced acidity and producing wines with excellent structure and ageing potential.
Puglia: Italy's Sun-Kissed Wine Region
Puglia (also known as Apulia) forms the heel of Italy's boot, stretching along the Adriatic Sea coast in southeastern Italy. This historic region is one of Italy's largest wine-producing areas, with a winemaking tradition dating back to ancient Greek and Roman times. The region's diverse landscape encompasses coastal plains, rolling hills, ancient olive groves, and distinctive trulli stone houses that dot the countryside.
Puglia's wine production centres on several key areas including Salento Peninsula in the south, where Negroamaro reaches its finest expression, the Murgia plateau in the central region, and the Tavoliere plains in the north. The Salento Peninsula, surrounded by both the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, provides the ideal terroir for Negroamaro, with maritime influences moderating the intense summer heat.
Mediterranean Climate & Terroir
Puglia's Mediterranean climate creates perfect conditions for Negroamaro cultivation. The region is characterised by hot, dry summers with abundant sunshine—often exceeding 300 days of sun annually—mild winters with moderate rainfall concentrated in autumn and winter months, cooling sea breezes from the Adriatic and Ionian Seas that moderate summer temperatures, and low humidity that reduces disease pressure and allows for healthy grape development.
The region's terroir is defined by distinctive red terra rossa soils—iron-rich red clay over limestone bedrock that provides excellent drainage, retains warmth, and imparts mineral complexity—calcareous limestone substrates that contribute structure and acidity to the wines—and ancient, low-yielding vines that produce concentrated fruit with intense flavours. This combination of climate and soil creates wines with remarkable concentration, depth, and authentic regional character.
Negroamaro Wine Characteristics
Negroamaro produces wines with distinctive personality and immediate appeal. The variety is characterised by deep ruby to garnet colour with purple highlights, aromatic complexity featuring dark cherry, blackberry, and plum, notes of dried herbs, liquorice, chocolate, and Mediterranean spices, full body with velvety, approachable tannins, moderate to medium-high acidity that provides freshness and food compatibility, and alcohol levels typically ranging from 13-14.5%, reflecting the warm growing conditions.
The variety's thick skins contribute not only colour and tannin but also a distinctive slightly bitter note on the finish—a characteristic that enhances the wine's food-pairing versatility and adds complexity. Modern winemaking techniques have refined Negroamaro's naturally robust character, producing wines that balance power with elegance and immediate drinkability with ageing potential.
Winemaking & Styles
Negroamaro is vinified in various styles across Puglia, from approachable, fruit-forward wines for early drinking to more structured, oak-aged expressions with greater complexity and longevity. Traditional winemaking emphasises the variety's natural fruit intensity and soft tannins, whilst contemporary approaches may include temperature-controlled fermentation to preserve aromatics, partial oak ageing to add complexity and structure, and blending with complementary varieties such as Malvasia Nera or Montepulciano.
The variety is the foundation of several Puglian DOC appellations, including Salice Salentino DOC, where Negroamaro must comprise at least 75% of the blend, and Copertino DOC and Squinzano DOC, both showcasing Negroamaro's versatility. These appellations ensure quality standards and authentic regional expression.
Tasting Profile & Food Pairing
Negroamaro wines offer exceptional versatility at the table, with their full body, moderate acidity, and savoury character complementing a wide range of cuisines. Traditional pairings include Puglian specialities such as orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe, grilled lamb and Mediterranean roasted meats, aged cheeses including Pecorino and Caciocavallo, tomato-based dishes and pizza, and charcuterie and cured meats. The wine's slightly bitter finish and robust structure also pair beautifully with rich, flavourful dishes including braised meats, game, and hearty stews.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Negroamaro at 16-18°C in medium to large-bowled red wine glasses that allow the wine's aromatics to develop. Young Negroamaro offers immediate pleasure with vibrant fruit and soft tannins, whilst wines with several years of age develop greater complexity, with tertiary notes of leather, tobacco, and dried fruit emerging alongside the primary fruit characters.
We offer great value on authentic Negroamaro wines from Puglia's finest producers, showcasing this distinctive southern Italian variety and the sun-drenched Mediterranean terroir, delivered across Australia.
