2020 Prima Mano Negroamaro, A Mano

• Style: Refined southern Italian red
• Taste: Rose, black cherry, velvety tannins, bright acidity
• Food: BBQ & grilled dishes, stews, roast dinners, beef, lamb
• Occasion: Sunday lunch, date night
• Serve: 13.5% ABV, serve now or cellar for years

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Deep ruby and visibly structured, this wine arrives with real presence. Floral notes of rose petals and violets dance alongside black cherries and damson plums—the kind of interplay that marks serious winemaking. Velvety, integrated tannins are balanced by vibrant acidity that keeps everything alive through the length. A wine that drinks beautifully now and will deepen over the next few years.

The Winery — A Mano

Mark Shannon, a Californian winemaker, and Elvezia Sbalchiero, a northern Italian wine marketing expert, built their label around Puglia's finest fruit. They sought out 70-year-old vines in Lizzano, overlooking the Ionian Sea, paying premium prices for berries of exceptional quality. The 2020 vintage demanded careful vineyard work through an unusual spring and unexpected May rains. Their unconventional cellar approach—three weeks of vine drying followed by dual-temperature fermentation—captured both colour and tannin richness whilst preserving delicate fruit character. No oak; the wine's identity comes entirely from exceptional grapes and considered technique.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Negroamaro, the signature black grape of Puglia's Salento peninsula, thrives in Mediterranean heat and sea-moderated climate—and this bottle proves why. Serve it alongside roasted red meat, aged hard cheeses, or meaty pasta. At 13.5% ABV with naturally low residual sugar, it's a balanced, food-centric red that suits all diners equally. This is one of the finest examples of the grape we've found; if you're drawn to dark-fruited southern Italian reds, it sits naturally alongside our broader Italy selection. Worth exploring the depth of what the region has to offer.