Massaro Del Fondo Appassimento 2022

Massaro del Fondo is a luxuriously rich Primitivo blend made with appassimento (aka air-dried) grapes from Puglia. The name “Massaro del Fondo” is loosely translated from the Puglian dialect—it means “caretaker of the farm.” As the back label will tell you, “The Massaro is an expert in all the secrets of the land, and knows that it needs constant care.” It’s a fitting name given all the effort required to bring this wine to life…

To achieve the perfect passito, weeks were spent combing through rows and rows of ancient vines (planted in the traditional alberello method), looking for just the right bunches of grapes. Once found, those grapes were cordoned off so they wouldn’t get mixed in and harvested along with the fruit that didn’t make the cut. It took quite a while to find all that was needed—and then came the waiting.

Twenty days after all the other grapes had been harvested, these hand-selected bunches still hung from the vine—each grape becoming a raisined knot of extremely concentrated flavor. The resulting wine shows off an inky black color in the glass with gorgeous aromas and flavors of black plum jam, black cherry and blackberry plus elegantly spicy notes. And it’s oh-so rich. Top Italian critic Luca Maroni called a previous vintage “an absolute ace…one of the best Italian red wines of the year” and this release is just as remarkable.

Hurry for your taste, then pair with roasted red meats, grilled pork or a hearty pasta dish at your next Italian feast.