This Wine Wednesday I am tasting a Nero di Troia 2018 called Selva della Rocca from Cantine LeGrotte in Puglia. The wine comes from the province of Foggia, specifically from Apricena. It was lovely with black fruit, earth, garrigue, great minerality, and spice. Long and persistent, this wine was a lovely expression of this very particular variety that only grows in Puglia.  The vineyards grow on calcareous soils that are rich in minerals on the Gargano promontory.

While Cantine LeGrotte is relatively new, the winery is part of a marble company owned by Franco dell’Erba. Apparently the stone in Apricena is famous the world over.

Nero di Troia is also called Uva di Troia and together with Negroamaro and Primitivo is one of Puglia’s most important grapes. Many people believe it hails from Greece and is named from the city of Troy. Others suggest is it named Troia for a city by the same name in Puglia. Still others say it is named for a city in Albania called Cruja, locally called Troy.

Nero di Troia is generally planted in Northern Puglia. It can be a very tannic variety and at times ripens unevenly, giving an herbaceous note to the wine from some of the less ripe berries. However, oak aging counteracts this tendency.

While this wine is a mono-varietal, Nero di Troia is often blended with other varieties in order to soften its acidity and tannin.  

I received this bottle as a sample from the amazing women of Puglia in Rosé, grazie!