"Il Sale della Terra" Nero di Troia IGT 2017

Il Sale della Terra, Nero di Troia Puglia IGT, is the wine that best represents the link between the Tuccio family and Puglia. It is an organic red wine of great balance and elegance, made from the second largest black grape variety in the Puglia region. Nero di Troia is one of the most widely cultivated varieties in Apulia, particularly in Daunia, between the province of Foggia and the area north of Bari. Its origins are certainly very much so, although they are shrouded in mystery. For some, its strange name refers to Diomedes, the hero of the Trojan War, who probably brought it to Apulia. Others, however, believe that its name refers to the small village of Cruja, on the Albanian coast, which in the vernacular was called Troia. Harvesting is manual and takes place in the second week of October. After processing, the wine goes into large 30-hectolitre barrels, where it matures for about 24 months. It then finishes its ageing with another 12 months in the bottle. An extremely territorial wine, its colour is ruby red. The nose is astonishing for its scents of ripe fruit, spices and light toasting. In the mouth, however, it has a powerful structure and a nice freshness. Very persistent, it finishes with a very fine note of vanilla. A wine to be uncorked when the menu includes first and second courses, it is perfect in particular with grilled meats. For lovers of tradition, in Puglia it is often served with the classic orecchiette pasta with meat sauce, or with suckling pig with potatoes cooked under the ashes.