Verso Rosso Salento Impero (2013)

About this wine

This wine offers a deep, nearly opaque color and a nose filled with sun-baked fruit aromas like fig, warm blueberry, raspberry, and dark cherry. The palate is rich and full-bodied, showcasing flavors of dark chocolate and black pepper spice, balanced with sweet dark fruit and bramble characters. A portion of the grapes undergoes the 'appassimento' process, where they are dried to concentrate sugars, resulting in a more intense flavor profile. The blend consists of 60% Negroamaro, 35% Primitivo, and 5% Malvasia Nera, creating a harmonious and flavorful experience.

About the grape

Negroamaro, Primitivo, and Malvasia Nera are three grape varieties deeply rooted in the Salento region of Italy. Negroamaro, meaning "black and bitter," is believed to have been introduced by Greek colonists around the 8th century BC and is known for its deep color and earthy flavors. Primitivo, named for its early ripening, shares a genetic link with California's Zinfandel and was likely brought to Puglia by the Illyrians or Greeks. Malvasia Nera, with probable Greek origins, is often blended with Negroamaro to add aromatic qualities and soften the wine's profile. Together, these grapes have been cultivated in Salento's warm climate and calcareous soils for centuries, contributing to the region's rich winemaking heritage.

Quick facts

• 🍇 Verso Rosso Salento Impero 2013 is crafted using a small percentage of 'appassimento' grapes, a traditional Italian method where grapes are partially dried to concentrate their flavors, resulting in a rich and luscious wine.
• 🍷 The wine is a blend of three indigenous grape varieties: Negroamaro, Primitivo, and Malvasia Nera, each contributing unique characteristics to the final product.
• 🖤 Negroamaro, one of the primary grapes in this blend, translates to 'black bitter' in Italian, reflecting its deep color and slightly bitter profile.
• 🇮🇹 The Salento region, where this wine originates, is often referred to as the 'heel' of Italy's boot, known for its warm climate and limestone-rich soils that are ideal for viticulture.
• 🌟 Verso Rosso Salento Impero 2013 has been praised for its deep color, rich dark fruit aromas, and spicy earth notes, offering a hedonistic experience that captures the polished side of Negroamaro and Primitivo.

Palate profile

Producer

Casa Vinicola Botter was founded in 1928 by Carlo and Maria Botter in Fossalta di Piave, Italy, initially selling local wines in barrels and demijohns. In the 1960s, their sons, Arnaldo and Enzo, expanded the business by bottling wines and entering European markets, eventually achieving global distribution by the 1980s. The third generation—Luca, Annalisa, and Alessandro—joined in the late 1990s, further modernizing operations and diversifying the wine portfolio. Today, Botter is one of Italy's largest wine exporters, with over 90% of its sales occurring outside the country. The company owns two estates: La di Motte in Veneto and Masseria Doppio Passo in Puglia, emphasizing a multi-territorial approach to winemaking.