From: Puglia, Italy
Varietal: Negroamaro

Taste: Dense ruby red with a purplish rim, it is immediately intense on the nose with marked aromas of ripe and fleshy red fruits, notably cherries, followed by spicy notes of cinnamon and nutmeg; in the mouth, it is full, powerful, smooth and very long, with a well-defined acid streak which makes it fresh and pleasing.

Pairing: This versatile red will become a new go-to favorite! Pairing excellently with everything from pizza and pasta with meat or tomato sauce (spaghetti and meatballs!) to roasted lamb shanks and BBQ to skillet chicken or bruschetta with caramelized onions (check out the recipe below).

Creamed-Mushroom Bruschetta With Caramelized Onions
Recipe from Chris Pandel
Adapted by Sam Sifton

This wine. The big vineyard of Negroamaro, located next to Masseria Li Veli, surrounded by a perimeter of giant pine trees, is just beside a forest called “Passamante." The reason for this name is that in the past, people who wanted to “have a tumble in the hay” with their lover, especially if not allowed, used to pass by this grove. As a consequence, this started to be considered The Forest of Lovers and took on this name from the words “Pass” (to pass) and “Amante” (lover)… The peculiar scent of the vegetation in this maquis is perfectly in harmony with the organoleptic properties of the wine.

About. In 1999, the Falvo family, with over 40 years of experience in the wine business, purchased and renovated the property to give birth to an ambitious project in Apulia, a region with a long vine-growing tradition.

Masseria Li Veli is located on an ancient Messapian site dominating the fertile and sunny Salento plain. It was founded by the Marquis Antonio de Viti de Marco (1858-1943), an internationally known Italian economist and university professor, Radical Party Deputy of the Reign of Italy, whose ambitious project was transforming the Masseria into a model cellar for the entire South. Today the beautifully restored Masseria covers an area of 33.000 sqm, 3750 of which include offices, a reception area, vinification, storage, and aging cellars.

Masseria Li Veli produces quintessentially Puglian wines from mostly native grape varieties. The Li Veli estate comprises 85 acres of vineyards around the Masseria planted with the well-known Puglian grape varieties Negroamaro and Primitivo, as well as with several less familiar local native grape varieties such as Susumaniello, Verdeca, and Minutolo. The vineyards use an ancient form of vine training: bush-trained(albarello) vines in a hexagonal configuration (known as the settonce system). Li Veli uses this type of training because it allows high planting density, maximum exposure of foliage to the sun, good air circulation, maximum space for roots, and ease of cultivation.

All the grapes of Li Veli's estate vineyards are produced using sustainable methods. There are two lines from Li Veli; the main line includes red wines made from Negroamaro and Primitivo, including a Rosato and a Fiano-based white wine. The Askos line features wines from distinctly Puglian grape varieties: Malvasia Nera di Lecce, Primitivo, Susumaniello, and Verdeca. Roberto Cotarella, one of Italy's most respected consulting winemakers, oversees production.