Mencia Negroamaro Tocai Friulano Spain Navarra

One of the key grapes of the ever-growing Puglia wine industry is the Negroamaro, a native grape of this southern Italian region, famed for its deep, bloody red color and excellent set of flavors Indeed, many of the finest and most highly esteemed full bodied red wines of Puglia are made using the Negroamaro varietal grape, and it is grown most notably in the Salento area of the region, where it makes several types of red wine enjoyed locally and sold overseas. The name 'Negroamaro' means 'black-bitter', giving some clue as to one of the key features of the grape. Wines made with Negroamaro do indeed hold quite a lot of earthy bitterness, but generally are celebrated for their 'rustic' taste and extremely aromatic qualities.

The Tocai Fruiliano grape varietal has been grown in and around the northern regions of Italy for centuries, and is still widely praised for its distinctive character and beautiful set of flavors and aromas. Despite the name, the Tocai Fruiliano varietal is not actually related to the famous Tokaji grapes of Hungary, or the Tokay d'Alsace grapes, but is actually the same species as Sauvignon Vert. Wines made from the Tocai Fruiliano grape are generally a pale straw yellow in color, and are recognizable by their aroma of wild flowers and orchard fruits such as pears. The flavor of the wines varies from vineyard to vineyard, and the Tocai Fruiliano grape is renowned for having a broad set of flavors, although citrus notes are usually detectable in most bottles.

Ever since the Phoenicians and Romans brought their knowledge of vine cultivation to Spanish soils, the country's culture has grown alongside wine production, with wine being a vital part of Spanish identity and Spanish traditions. Each region of Spain has a wine quite distinct from the others, and it is produced by smallholders and families as much as it is by large companies and established wineries. From the relatively mild and lush regions of La Rioja to the arid plateaus that surround Madrid, grapes are grown in abundance for the now booming Spanish wine industry, and new laws and regulations have recently been put in place to keep the country's standards high. By combining traditional practices with modern technology, Spanish wineries are continuing to produce distinctive wines of great character, flavor and aroma, with the focus shifting in recent decades to quality over quantity.

The Spanish wine region of Navarra is a seriously big one. This vast space covers over a hundred kilometers, and within the region you can find almost every climatic condition imaginable in Europe. From the semi-desert of the south, near the Bardenas Reales national park, to the northern mountains where the air is damp and the terrain lush and green, this is a region of real variety and range. As you might expect from such a far-reaching bit of wine country, the wines you find in Navarra vary from one extreme to the other. In some ways, this can present Spanish wine fans with a bit of a problem, as Navarra doesn’t really have any singular, identifiable wine style. However, thanks to the dedication of the vintners who work this disparate terroirs, there’s plenty to explore and several gems to uncover.

The temperate regions to the north, in the shadow of the mountain ranges that criss-cross the country produce remarkably fine imported French white wine varietals, such as Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The mineral rich soils it the foothills are brought forward beautifully in the wines, which are quite distinct from their French cousins. The winemakers of Navarra have also experimented a lot with French style blends over the past two decades, bringing Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon together with the native Tempranillo grape. However, Navarra is principally rose country, and the Garnacha grape varietal thrives in the vineyards which cover this huge and historic region.