| Grape variety |
Negro Amaro |
| Synonyms |
jonico, nero leccese, niuru maru, nicra amaro, uva cane. |
| Grape colour |
Red grape |
| Variety |
Autochthonous |
| Vigour |
Excellent |
| Ripening |
End of September, first decade of October. |
| Productivity |
Abundant and constant (65-70 q.li ha). |
| Areas of cultivation |
It is the most widespread variety in southern Puglia, especially in Salento; Comes into the composition of numerous and famous Apulian wines, especially rosé. |
| History |
Its origin is very ancient and must be traced very much to the same as most other red grapes in southern Italy: the Greek colonization that took place from the eighteenth century to Christ in the whole peninsula, especially in the South. Despite its presence already in ancient times, the vine was only described in the nineteenth century, when a parasite that was strongly damaging the vines was reported by Achille Bruni to Apelle Dei, university professor. It was 1872 and it was the first written description of the vine under the name of Negramaro. Negro Amaro, also known as Negramaro, owes its name to its main features, the almost black color of its wines and a bitter aftertaste. The etymologists, in fact, have also failed to establish the exact origin of the term, are in agreement with two hypotheses. The first one sees the name composed of the Latin term niger and the Greek mavros, then corrupted in dialect in the term maru, in salento meaning black. Here is the coloring of berries. The other hypothesis, however, directly involves the dialect Salentino niuri maru, which instead describes the bitter taste of the closures on the palate. |
| Ampelographic features |
Leaf: large, pentagonal, quinquelobata and trilobata; Pectoral breast with narrow V; Upper lateral breasts with superimposed edges, shallow lower lateral breasts, U or closed limbs, often one in U and one in V; Top green page, glabra; Bottom green-light bottom, opaque; Ribs of 1st and 2nd order protruding, arachnoid, partially red; Thick flap, with a slightly wrinkled surface; Involute lobes; Corner at the top of the terminal lobes: straight; Pronounced teeth, irregular at convex margins, mucronates.
Bunch: medium size; Tight, length 14-20 cm, short, simple, conical, visible, woody in the first 2 cm, medium.
Acino: medium, tending to the big (15-18 mm), oblong, regular, persistent, prominent navel, regular cross-section (circular); Pruinous, violet, thick, thick; Juicy flesh, neutral flavor (simple), sweet, colored juice; Medium length and thickness pedicle, green; Separation of the pedicello from the acino: medium easy; Obvious strands of rust-colored green; Medium yellow amber paintbrush. |
| Characteristics of the wine obtained from this grape variety |
With the bitter Negro, wines are obtained from ruby red or rosé cerasuolo, depending on the vinification system used. The scent is intense, vinous and fruity, with scents of black berry fruit. Equipped with medium structure, taste gives a good balance between freshness and pseudo-caloric feelings, with just mentioned tannicism. |
| Notes |
Resistance to meteoric illness and adversity: good for oesophageal, mildew and frostbite. In a few years the grapes can be quite damaged by the tignola; Poor resistance to gray mold with the used gatenotes in the area: Berl. xRip. 420 A; 157 / n; Rip. X Rup. 3309; Chass. X Berl. 41 B. |