Azienda Agricola Vitivinicola
Lomazzi & Sarli, Latiano, Puglia
Proprietario Pino Dimastrodonato and famed enologist Franco Bernabei have managed to drag a traditional winery (founded in 1869 but on land used for viticulture since the 8th century BC!) into the future by making it even MORE old school: they converted to all organic agriculture and instituted hand harvesting of the alberello trained 30+ year old vines. The results are not only delicious and packed with the dirt and sun of the heel of the boot, they are also almost ridiculously affordable (we love the fact that they talk about not a “good” quality/price ratio but “the correct” QPR in their brochure!) :
Lomazzi & Sarli Salento Aleatico
Rosso Dolce Dimastrodonato 2003, Puglia 26.99 500 ml ORGANIC
An outrageously rich, indulgent and yummy alternative to Porto that is packed with rose petal, berry and citrus notes, this will be delish whether you serve it with some nice ripe cheeses, poach some pears in it or just sip it on the deck and watch the sunset.
Azienda Vinicola Palamà, Cutrofiano, Puglia
Complimenti Cosimo! Merum, a very serious wine and food magazine written in German and based in Switzerland, has a monthly feature that could have come right out of one of our newsletters. Der Ultimative Weintest uses a scoring mechanism we can really get behind: after a comprehensive blind tasting of a particular set of wines, the tasters are served a large selection of Pizza and then, after they are satiated, the bottles are lined up according to how much wine is left in them. This is measured in centimeters and the HIGHEST number is the loser. Well, our beloved Palamà Metiusco Rosso 2003 (one of our largest sellers despite being told that it was “too rustic” for Americans by a previous importer) was the winner recently with ZERO cm remaining (as in they killed the bottle) and the winner of the coveted JLF (“je leerer die flasche, umso besser der wein!”).
Palamà Salento Rosso Passito IGT Metiusco Oro 2003, Puglia Sold Out, New Vintage Soon!
This is a really sophisticated wine that grows on you with every sip: so soft it is almost fluffy, scented with black fruits and Rosé petals, not too sweet or alcoholic, serve it with anything from gnarly cheeses through panna cotta with fresh berries to your most sinfully intense chocolate.
