Negroamaro Rivera
Negroamaro is the most typical grape variety of Salento, Puglia.
Rivera’s vineyards are in the Salento peninsula in the southern part of Apulia region. The vines are trained in the “Salento gobelet” style on calcareous clay soils at the altitude of 50-80m. Average yield is 80-90 q./ha
The winemaking consists of maceration at 25 °C for 7-8 days in stainless steel vats with frequent pump-overs. The wine is aged for 9 months in glass-lined concrete vats to maintain the fruit and varietal character.
Deep ruby colour; complex bouquet of dark fruit, noteably blackcurrant. Medium bodied on the palate with black cherry and notes of liquorice; a long complex aftertaste exhibiting the pleasant, bitterish note typical of Negroamaro.
If correctly stored this wine will develop nicely for 3-4 years.
A very versatile drink that can be enjoyed by itself or matching pastas, soups and meats.
About the Producer
Rivera
Sebastiano de Corato founded the Azienda Vinicola Rivera in the late 1940s, inspired by the enormous viticultural potential of the Castel del Monte area.
Widespread recognition quickly followed and since then Rivera has become the benchmark of Puglia quality wine. Today, with the involvement of the third generation of the family – Sebastiano and Marco – Rivera continues to express the intense yet elegant character of native grape varieties.
The winery’s winemaking philosophy is rigorously applied to every step of the process: vineyard management, grape harvest, winemaking, maturation and bottling; the most up-to-date viticultural and oenological practices are married to the deepest respect for natural processes, with all activities focused on achieving environmental and economic sustainability and on continuous improvement in quality.
A modern, efficient winemaking facility houses small stainless-steel fermenters, custom-designed for on-the-skins macerations for the reds and rosés. The glass-lined cement vats were an innovation in the 1960’s and are now fully temperature controlled.
The entire winery complex served by a solar-panel installation that covers 70% of its energy needs.
Castel del Monte is one of Apulia’s most exceptional winegrowing areas, which received its DOC designation in 1971 and its DOCG in 2001.
The area is divided into two areas of different landscapes and soil types. Above 300m is the hard-limestone rocky plateau of the Murgia with traditional vineyards trained to spalliera bassa, or low vertically-trained canopies cultivated among pastures and fields. Between 180 and 300m is deep and loose tufa-limestone soils hosting olive groves and vineyards. The area is characterised by a Mediterranean climate – marked by cool and rainy winters, and hot and dry summers tempered by the sea breezes.
“Rivera is one of the great estates in Italy.
The estate excels with their reds, which are not only gorgeous in absolute terms, but also exceedingly fairly priced. … Rivera makes wines that capture the exuberance that Puglia is capable of, while maintaining a gorgeous sense of structure. Readers who want to discover the wines of Puglia would do well to start with Rivera.”
Antonio Galloni – The Wine Advocate
