The Marra family has been growing fruit in Salento for over 40 years. Young Francesco Marra and his friend Francesco Winspeare began estate-bottling small quantities of wine in the late eighties. There are over 100 acres under vine, with the best sites and fruit reserved for the estate wines. From 100% Negroamaro, the Santa Medici Rosso exhibits bright currant and black-raspberry aromas that are accented by a natural, sweet spice. Cool, stainless-steel fermentation and aging allow the pure fruit of this unique vinifera variety to show through.
Regional History
Puglia, in the boot heel of Italy, is named for the Apuli tribe who settled the region over three thousand years ago. Despite constant occupation from the Byzantines to the Bourbons, Puglia, (also known as Apulia) has been Italy’s most bountiful source of wine and olive oil. Currently the region is among the most productive in the world, with the ripe soft grapes finding their way into wines from as far away as Tuscany.
The traditional red grapes for the Salento region are Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera. A more recent addition is Montepulciano. The rare, old traditional white varieties (Bianco d’Alessano, Bombino, Impigno) have given way to Garganega, Trebbiano, and, of course, the ubiquitous Chardonnay.
Regional Foods
In the narrow region of Puglia, mountains and plains meet and run along the coastline, forming an extremely productive agricultural landscape; wheat, olives and wine grapes all grow in profusion. Sheparding in the hills provides sheep’s and goat’s milk for cheeses (cacioricotta, canestrato, scamorza) and lamb (often grilled over fires of foraged wood, herb twigs and nut shells).
Access to the sea provides fish for grilling and Greek-influenced stews. Mussels, octopi, and oysters farmed in the Gulf of Taranto, are raised in the same way they were when destined for the tables of the Roman Senators. From the wheat grown on the fertile plains around Foggia come breads and a vast array of hand-made pasta. This artisan pasta-making tradition uses many of the concentrated, aromatic vegetables to create some of Puglia’s most distinctive dishes: garganelli with asparagus, orechiette (a particular favorite) with broccoli rabe, and cavatelli with arugula.
© Moore Brothers Wine Company