Saluti Puglia Rosso Merlot/Negroamaro NV (Italy)

Description

• Medium bodied
• Ripe dark berries
• Juicy fruit
• Soft mouthfeel

"A charming blend of Negroamaro and Merlot, the nicely lifted bouquet shows dark berry, mulberry, olive and dark mushroom characters. The palate delivers juicy fruit intensity and smooth mouthfeel, finishing firm and pleasingly dry. It's attractively spicy and savoury with sweet fruit flavours" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Nov 2019

"Dark, deep, ruby-red colour with black hues and lighter purple tints on the rim. The nose is elegantly proportioned with up-front ripe aromas of dark-red plums and savoury red berry fruits along with subtle notes of dark herbs and earth. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate possesses flavours of sweet dark red plums and savoury berry fruits entwined with subtle notes of herbs and earth. The palate is juicy, unfolding suggestions of plum jam and liquorice, and is enlivened by bright acidity with light tannin extraction providing background support. The fruit is carried to a lingering, lush finish with balancing grip. This is an elegant, up-front, sweet-fruited Puglia red with lively plum and red berry flavours and light textures. Serve with antipasto, tapas and Mediterranean cuisine over the next 2-3 years. A blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Negroamaro, from Brindisi, hand-picked and cool-fermented in tank to 12.5% alc. Winemaker: Simone Cortese" Raymond Chan

"Drinkable Italian wines under $15 are thin on the ground but the second vintage of this great value wine breaks the mould and is made mostly from Merlot (65%) with Negroamaro providing the Italianesque, savoury spice and liquorice flavours. Saluti means ‘greetings’. It’s made by a big company in Puglia; the hot, arid, sun drenched heel of the Italian boot, and is imported here by Master of Wine Stephen Bennett; a long time Italiaphile who has opened many doors for Spanish wine in this country. Let’s hope he can do the same for Italy" Joelle Thomson

A fantastic-value, modern, medium-bodied, soft red wine from Puglia in southern Italy. A blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Negroamaro, from Brindisi, hand-picked and cool-fermented in tank to preserve its vibrant fruit flavours by winemaker Simone Cortese. Saluti is part of the portfolio of MGM Mondo del Vino, a large Italian wine producer founded in 1991. Today, the company is one of the top exporters of Italian wines.