Rosato Puglia IGT

A Mano is located in Puglia and is owned by American enologist Mark Shannon and Italian marketing specialist Elvezia Sbalchiero who fell instantly in love with the region and its old-world winemaking traditions while on vacation there. The name – Italian for “handmade” – is also their manifesto: the duo passionately cares for every single detail from the vineyard to the bottle. In fact, the vines are hand-cultivated and low-yielding, still head-trained as they were by the ancient Phoenicians. Mark has achieved a winning combination of California’s technology (jacketed rotary fermenters, heat exchangers, stainless steel equipment on a state-of-the-art scale etc.) and Puglia’s tradition and terroir. With Elvie’s strength, determination and logistic intelligence and the wines’ amazing value, you have the making of some of the best that Puglia has to offer.

90% Primitivo and 10% Aleatico grown in Ginosa, Castellaneta, Gravina in Puglia. The vines are 20-40 years old. After harvest, the grapes are crushed and immediately pressed, spending very little time on the skins. The free-run juice goes through slow fermentation at a low temperature, which preserves the delicate perfumes of the grapes. A gorgeous wine with aromas of honeysuckle, carnations and notes of ripe cherries and strawberries. It shows the body of a red wine and the delicacy and perfume of a white wine. In Mark’s words, “Usually, when I try the grapes, they tell me what kind of wine they want to be. With Rosato, I drive the project: I have flavors and colors in my mind and look for the vineyards that fit that profile. The inspiration came from the ancient tradition of field blending Primitivo with Aleatico. Can you imagine? The floral perfume of Aleatico combined with the freshness and fruitiness of Primitivo as it just starts to mature.”