As you can see, I’ve been diving into Italy lately, so it was only natural to pop open a bottle of Italian vino while making spaghetti and meatballs. I pulled from the wine fridge a 2015 Borgo di Marte Appassimento.

It is crafted by the Botter family at their estate in the heart of Borgo di Marte (a village named for the Roman god Mars). The region, Puglia, is one of Italy’s warmest, most southerly regions (the heel of the “boot”). It is actually named for the Italian expression, “a pluvia,” meaning “lack of rain.”

It is made with Negroamaro (65%), Merlot (25%), and Primitivo (15%). It was crafted in the appassimento method, which means the grapes were air-dried before pressing, allowing each one to turn into a knot of intensely concentrated flavor. This technique is used by Amarone producers in the Veneto region, as it yields wines with incredibly intense, concentrated flavors.

It was medium ruby in color and had a strong ripened dark fruit aroma. It had nice little legs on the glass. It was fruit forward, like dark cherry, prunes, and blackberry jam, and concentrated. Also had some earthy and spicy qualities to it. It was very dry with a nice amount of acidity. It had a decent mouthfeel. I found it online for under $20. I didn’t know what to expect when I pulled this one, but I really enjoyed it. Cheers!