2012 Luccarelli Negroamaro Puglia, $9.95. LCBO#380972.
Recently someone, a creative sort, asked if I make things, and all I could think of was cooking….and then I thought “Well I do have a blog. I might neglect it but it is creative…right?” And then a conversation ensued on the virtues of drinking good cheap wine and sharing that with the universe. After that I came across a new $10 possibility at the LCBO and knew it was time to stop making excuses about work exhaustion and share a nice bottle with fellow cheapskate wine drinkers.
I am a lover of Luccarelli Primitivo, and am a bit sad to see that it has moved from $9.80 to $10.95. So I picked up its Negroamaro cousin, because it still lives in the $10 zone. I really don’t know much about Negroamaro, but apparently it is a popular grape in southern Italy and is similar to Primitivo. I wasn’t able to compare the 2 bottles side by side as my LCBO was sold out of the Luccarelli Primitivo, but I would say they are both deep in colour, fruit forward, but nicely balanced in flavour.
The Negroamaro has a really smoky nose, and so much berry-cherry quality that it feels like a California wine to me, which is great, because I love big California reds. It is a little bit restrained on the finish, with some nice acidity, and the alcohol is at 13%, which is potent but not overwhelming.
All in all, I would most certainly buy this again, and given that it is hard to say if the Primitivo is better, I might grab the Negroamaro because it is $1 cheaper.
Overall, I give this wine 9/10 for taste and 5/5 for value.
La Gourmandesse 