Wine: A-Mano: Bianco Puglia IGT (New: Fiano-Greco Stelvin Closure)

Apulia

Apulia is Italy’s flattest region with fertile plains home to vast olive groves, cereal crops, and vineyards planted in iron-rich soils. The geography conjures visions of a boot heel jutting into the Adriatic and Ionian seas, which accounts for 830 kilometers of coastline. This “bread basket” region of Italy noted for dry hot summers is thus tempered by cooling sea breezes. Charmingly dotting the Apulian landscape in the Itria valley are the prehistoric, unique cone or dome shaped, stone dwellings know as i trulli. Long reputed as the wine cellar for all of Europe, production has been dominated by massive cooperatives. But here again, like throughout much of the southern regions, private investment and recognition of the abundant, natural elements of the region are allowing for more premium wine to be produced at value prices. With figures suggesting that production ranges from 70-80% in favor of red wine, there are just three grapes to note: Negroamaro, Primitivo and Malvasia Nera, grown mainly on the Salento peninsula. The grapes were traditionally blended, when not sold in bulk, to create the wine Salice Salentino which is known for its superb value. The primary grapes usually are the Negroamaro which provides the wine with depth of color, firm tannins and structure and the Primitivo which lends rich fruit and soft sweet tannins. However a standout for individual production has been the Primitivo, which has the added distinction of being genetically linked to Zinfandel found in North America (not hard to understand given the number of southern Italian immigrants that found their ways to Northern California in the early 1900’s). When combined with oak, the spicy fruit lends itself to an exceptional value.
With new winery standards and vineyard techniques demonstrating its potential, many major producers from the north are rushing to buy vineyards. Many, often half jokingly, refer to the region as the “California of Italy” which with the presence of a California winemaker already making critically acclaimed wines, confirms the area has explosive potential. Along with Sicily, Apulia is likely to experience some of the most dramatic growth in premium wines
over the next few years.

A-Mano

A-Mano was the first of the Shannon/Sbalchiero brands to come into being, so it is not surprising its name should be tantamount to a declaration of intent, the Puglian mission itself of these two wonderful people. True enough, A-Mano means hand-made.

Entirely hand-crafted from old vines of the indigenous Primitivo variety (Zinfandel’s granddaddy), these fruit-packed, food-friendly red IGTs express the region’s quality potential, and the reasons for co-owner/California winemaker Mark Shannon’s Apulian connection.

Motives best told by Mark himself: Apulia (or Puglia, as it is known in Italian) is so easy to fall in love with: old, head-trained vineyards, a history of grape-growing in harmony with nature. Everything necessary for top-quality wines. I was compelled to stay. I have not seen another region of the world where the quality potential is so high. After so many years of technical winemaking, I had almost forgotten that the right way to make wine is with love. In fact, Puglia reminded me this is the way to do everything.

If ever we saw a labor of love, A-Mano and Prima-Mano (the barrique-aged Private Reserve, issued in the finest years) are it. Mark’s passionate professionalism has achieved a winning combination of California-style technology (jacketed rotary fermenters, heat exchangers, stainless steel equipment on a state-of-the-art scale etc.), and Apulian tradition and terroir (70 to 100-year-old, hand-cultivated, low-yielding vines, still head-trained as they were by the ancient Phoenicians; Puglia’s unique alluvial soil, beautiful even to look at: deep red and sienna-colored, ideal for this structured, extract-packed native variety). Add to all the above a northern Italian logistical genius called Elvezia Sbalchiero as Mark’s partner; a forward-thinking winery, willing to invest in technology and be the premier winery in Puglia; the perfect location within Primitivo’s golden triangle; Mark Shannon’s 360-degree quality control; the superb packaging and clockwork synergy…
 

This past 2006 vintage has inaugurated a thrilling new era for Mark Shannon and Elvezia Sbalchiero’s state-of-the-art Apulian operation, at Castellaneta. For the very first time, the dynamic team has produced an all-native white wine under the A•Mano aegis. A•Mano Bianco hails from 50% Fiano and 50% Greco di Tufo. The former variety is very aromatic, whereas the latter is responsible for the wine’s body. Harvested from Sept. 27th to Sept. 30th, 2005 on the hillside of Putignano (see map below; “the Napa Valley of Puglia”, as Mark calls it), at 375 meters (1,230 feet) above sea level, fermentation lasted 25 days in stainless steel tanks at 8° C (46.4 degrees Fahrenheit), with no oak or malolactic. The result was a delightfully crisp, aromatic wine, splendid as an aperitivo or with delicate pasta dishes, fish, shellfish.
This exciting addition to the A•Mano range is a blend of two ancient native grapes that have recently seen a crescendo of appreciation both in Italy and abroad: Fiano (50%) and Greco (50%) – both white, though a less common red version of Greco does exist. The varieties’ aromatic richness, structure and amplitude are such that Mark Shannon has chosen fermentation and maturation in stainless steel, preserving the grapes’ intriguing natural complexity and freshness.
FIANO was known as Apianum in ancient Rome. This historic name derived from the Latin for “bee”, apis, for the grape’s intense, floral fragrance attracted these flower-loving insects. Some two thousand years later, the variety’s appealing scents have anything but faded, and may be found in the ensuing wines… The latter’s sensational bouquet is sustained by superb structure and consequent longevity: Fiano wines and blends can be extremely cellar-worthy, and develop very elegant aromas that go from honey and spice to the characteristic notes of hazelnut.
GRECO – meaning “Greek” – also goes back to well over two thousand years ago, when this noble grape was first planted by the ancient Greek settlers in southern Italy. Its cultivation spread from the commune of Tufo, in the present region of Campania (hence its full name of Greco di Tufo). Some of the most celebrated wines in Italian antiquity were made from Greco. Through the centuries, their enduring features have been a gorgeous bouquet and great elegance, structure, breed and longevity.
A·MANO BIANCO harmonizes these ancient strains: its brilliant straw yellow color is the harbinger of crystal-clear aromas and marvelous elegance. Lively mineral notes on the nose prelude fresh, floral nuances gradually followed by fuller, riper scents of white fruit – notably pear and muskmelon – closing with delicate citrus and grapefruit. The complex, fascinating bouquet is confirmed on the palate – fresh, fruity and silky-textured, with an extremely persistent, mineral finish.
A delightfully crisp, aromatic wine that is splendid on its own as an aperitivo, or with delicate pasta dishes, fish, shellfish. Note: Bottles are provided with Stelvin® screw cap closure.

• All