'Cunning Plan' Negroamaro 2024

A$37.99

Negroamaro is a variety that originates in the Puglia region, the heel of the boot that is Italy. This is the warmest and driest part of Bella Italia, and the varieties that grow here are hardy bold. 2023 was the first vintage I worked with negroamaro from Box Grove Vineyard but the grapes couldn’t ripen enough for a red wine, so I pivoted and make rosé instead. With a better plan and better vintage conditions, in 2024 I was able to make both a rosé and this the inaugural red wine negroamaro.

In 2024 the negroamaro grapes were the last to be harvested, both for rosé and for red wine. Grapes for red were carefully hand harvested and transported to the winery for de-stemming. The wine fermented on skins for 11 days then after pressing transferred to mature small-format French oak barrels. The wine was racked and returned to barrel in the Spring, then bottled unfined and unfiltered in March the following year.

There is conjecture regarding the meaning of the variety name negroamaro. Some believe it directly translates from the Italian “black bitter” whereas some believe the amaro derives from the Greek word for black, which would make it “black/black.” I'm a great lover of the Rowan Atkinson BBC series Blackadder, and one of the great running gags is the character Baldrick claiming he has a “cunning plan".” I thought this an appropriate name for the wine considering it wasn't until the second attempt that the planning worked out.

Negroamaro is a variety that originates in the Puglia region, the heel of the boot that is Italy. This is the warmest and driest part of Bella Italia, and the varieties that grow here are hardy bold. 2023 was the first vintage I worked with negroamaro from Box Grove Vineyard but the grapes couldn’t ripen enough for a red wine, so I pivoted and make rosé instead. With a better plan and better vintage conditions, in 2024 I was able to make both a rosé and this the inaugural red wine negroamaro.

In 2024 the negroamaro grapes were the last to be harvested, both for rosé and for red wine. Grapes for red were carefully hand harvested and transported to the winery for de-stemming. The wine fermented on skins for 11 days then after pressing transferred to mature small-format French oak barrels. The wine was racked and returned to barrel in the Spring, then bottled unfined and unfiltered in March the following year.

There is conjecture regarding the meaning of the variety name negroamaro. Some believe it directly translates from the Italian “black bitter” whereas some believe the amaro derives from the Greek word for black, which would make it “black/black.” I'm a great lover of the Rowan Atkinson BBC series Blackadder, and one of the great running gags is the character Baldrick claiming he has a “cunning plan".” I thought this an appropriate name for the wine considering it wasn't until the second attempt that the planning worked out.

Jeni Port - Wine Companion
”The Italian grape calls Puglia home, but is increasingly finding its second home here with its dark-hearted fruit intensity, herbal impact and food-friendly ways. Crimson-red hues. Mixes a deep, earthy and autumnal leafiness with black plum, black cherry and blackberry fruits folded into the palate and threaded with dried herbs. Fine but sturdy tannins prevail, with a bright acidity producing a firm and savoury finish.” 92 points