Negus Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2017,2352 (Cascina del Colle)

Cellar for up to 20 years. Decant for up to an hour before serving. Cascina del Colle is a family winery which has steadily become an established part of the Abruzzo landscape over the last 25 years. It is owned and run żeby the D’Onofrio’s, who from a farmhouse on a hill, create a delicious range of native Italian wines and olive oils. The winery is found in the Villamagna municipality, in the Apennine foothills, not far from Italy’s eastern coast. It boasts a magnificent environment for the cultivation of Montepulciano grapes. Vineyards sit at an average height of 250 metres above sea level, with sun exposure to the south/southeast. The combination of austere winters and blistering summers makes for wonderfully complex and flavourful grapes. Negus is an outstanding example of Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, exploding with blackberry jam, ripe cherry, cocoa beans and black liquorice. It leans towards being full-bodied and exhibits a firm tannic structure and fresh acidity. The name refers to an African king, which perfectly reflects the personality of this wine. It is warm in the mouth, swaddling the tongue in forest berries with vanilla and cinnamon spice. Serve at room temperature in a large glass, and pair it with a meaty Italian dish.