When I had made a small selection in the wine shop and wanted to pay for it, I was advised to also try the Orfeo Negroamaro.
And I'm sensitive to such a teaser. Emma Neerinck from Crombé Wines doesn't know that, as far as I know, but she gave me a good tip!
It is one of the most popular red wines in the range and sells very well.
Please note that can be for various reasons, maybe once a promo during a tasting? People like to go back to what they know and with a price of just under fifteen euros it is an interesting price/quality ratio. Also from Italy, which appeals to the average wine lover, now that alternatives are being sought for the classic French wines that the parents always drink…
Apparently this wine is also actively being promoted, because I got the '19 as a gift in July. Warmly recommended at Crombé, I was told.
A negroamaro, pronounce it slowly at first, is definitely not my favourite grape, and Puglia not my preference in terms of region… Usually these are wines that appear quite heavy, high in alcohol and eventually stick to the wall of the mouth for an uncomfortably long time.
Anyway, Emma explained that the vineyard is close to the coast and therefore benefits from abundant sunshine and a refreshing sea breeze. The basis for a balanced wine that combines character with the necessary acidity, to achieve the sacred balance that we are always looking for in wine.
In any case, the bottle is very inviting with its modern styling and the judicious use of orange on a pitch black bottle. From the label on the back we learn the harvest year is 2020, it is an IGP, so not bound by too many rules, it contains 14.5% alcohol (what we describe as “sturdy") and is at its best decanted at 18°.
It doesn't say what to eat with it, which I really appreciate.
Anyway… wine tasting, that's what it's all about here.
A nice bottle and an expert explanation do not guarantee that the wine appeals to me personally.
In the glass over a white surface, the wine is dark in the centre and ruby red towards the edges. That promises some balance. The thick tears along the rim of the glass, after waltzing, confirm the presence of a lot of alcohol… That does not necessarily have a negative effect on the quality, but it takes a good winemaker to arrive at a balanced wine!
The wine is modest on the nose, but that is not even surprising. They advise decanting, we put the wine in a large glass and taste a few times with some time in between. They also talk about eighteen degrees… Here the red wine is always fifteen degrees when opened. Naturally, the wine will then be rather closed in the beginning. But the evolution of the wine is also a quality test.
Some time later we smell abundant dark red fruit, some tobacco and chocolate too. Class.
I don’t want to be a pain in the you-know-where, but I wouldn't decant the wine myself at eighteen degrees. Because in average room temperatures, the wine will quickly warm up further and possibly turn dull and heavy.
Now we have refreshing acidity that keeps the wine slim and subtle, a pleasantly soft mouthfeel, lots of spiciness and a classy aftertaste.
I can agree with Emma, this is a very interesting wine that will appeal to a lot of people. It looks cool and stylish, drinks easily but also has a lot to offer if you go deeper into it. I can imagine that this wine is drunk with many dishes, I myself will soon combine it with mother's stew…
At the risk of sounding like a snob… these are the kinds of wines that are correct in terms of value for money and deserve a little more attention than the average slobber wine. I know that most people don't give fifteen euros for a bottle of wine and I respect that. And in the current economic situation, there are other things that take precedence, especially in September.
But if at the end of the year we want to cheer in style for a better and easier 2023, then I can highly recommend this Orfeo Negroamaro. At fifteen degrees ;-)
mb
