By Andrew Cottell, Parish Hill Wines, Adelaide Hills, South Australia.

First published in the July/August 2012 issue of the Wine & Viticulture Journal

Andrew Cottell, from Italian variety specialist Parish Hill Wines, is one of just a handful of producers of Negro Amaro in Australia. In 2008, two years after he planted his first vines, Andrew shared his early experiences with the variety in an issue of the Australian and New Zealand Wine Industry Journal – the forerunner to the Wine & Viticulture Journal – and four years on says he’s surprised there have not been more plantings of it in Australia, particularly given its ability to tolerate heat and hold acid.

I first decided to plant Negro Amaro after seeing the vines growing at Chalmers Nurseries (now known as Binjara Vine Nursery), at Euston, on the New South Wales-Victorian border. Former proprietor Bruce Chalmers had imported many new Italian varieties and clones that were hitherto unavailable in Australia.

I used to buy fruit from Chalmers from their Italian varieties that I either had growing and were not yet producing or that I was interested in planting at a later date. This way, I could get a handle on the winemaking for when my vines were producing.

One day, I was picking a variety in the rows alongside where the Negro Amaro was growing and was struck by its large leaves and strong vertical growth. I thought it would suit trellising to VSP. I was also attracted to the name. I thought ‘Amaro’ was something to do with love or being amorous and would be a good marketing ploy. I was wrong!

I first planted Negro Amaro in 2006, followed by a second planting in 2007. I have around 500-600 vines in total, which are the VCR 10 clone. They are all on Teleki 5C rootstocks. This gives a vine of moderate vigour in our soil and climate.

Negro Amaro has strong, upright growth and forms a good VSP canopy. Our vines receive two minimal hedging passes with the vine trimmer in summer. The leaves are quite large, tough, leathery and hairy underneath. The berries are dark, thick-skinned and firmly attached to the pedicel, which may be a problem with mechanical harvesting. Bunches are compact and prone to botrytis attack in late autumn if there is rain. Our plantings are 2.3m x 1.2m, giving a vine density of 3700 vines/ha. I don’t plan to plant any more, as supply and demand are about in balance.

Our vineyard is steep with a good west-to-north exposure; it is a warm site in a cool area. Our mean January temperature is 19.5-20°C, which is marginal for this variety. We can ripen the grapes with low crops and good canopy control.

Negro Amaro is fertile and fruitful from the lower buds and generally produces two bunches per shoot, but sometimes three. Due to the fertile lower buds, Negro Amaro is amenable to spur pruning, although we choose to cane prune. In our cooler vineyard, it is very important to thin out the bunches to ensure that the remaining bunches get full exposure for uniform colouring and flavour development but are not touching each other, or are up against a post where they are protected from airflow and solar radiation that can promote botrytis. Our Negro Amaro matures late and the bunches are compact, so the residual effect of the last botrytis spray is minimal.

In our vineyard, all phonological events from budburst to harvest are later than Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Sangiovese, for example. Flowering occurs at the end of November through to fruitset at the end of the first week of December. Veraison is in the second week of February and harvest is late, at around the end of April. This phenology would be different in a warmer climate.

Negro Amaro holds its acid well and needs none or minimal adjustment prior to fermentation. This would be a benefit in hot areas. At harvest, the grapes are handpicked, crushed and destemmed, following simple, traditional winemaking practices. The wine receives no oak treatment, as we want to see the expression of varietal fruit for the first few years. The wines are intense ruby red in colour with a blue-violet edge, but not as dark as Shiraz or Cabernet, nor is it as tannic.

A pleasant-textured, non-stop palate is full and lingering with a throat-coating finish and flavours of cherry, tobacco, berry, ripe resinous fruit, coconut, toasted coffee, dark chocolate and mocha. Other descriptors include marzipan, rhubarb, lavender, liquorice, fennel and aniseed.

Negro Amaro, like many other red Italian varietals, is a hard sell to people who are chronic Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot drinkers. However, consumers are slowly moving away from those big oaked, 14.5% alcohol wines and appreciating the savoury subtlety of Italian red varieties. They make you think, and get your attention.

In Puglia, the home of Negro Amaro, it is often made into rosé, so we made one in 2011.

I am surprised there have not been more plantings of it in Australia, particularly in warm to hot areas, as it is very heat tolerant and holds its acid well. I think it would be a good option for anyone thinking of planting an alternative red variety in many parts of Australia, especially if a good homoclime match can be found.

NEGRO AMARO

By Peter Dry, Emeritus Fellow, The Australian Wine Research Institute

Background

Negro Amaro or Negroamaro (NEGG-ro  ah-MARR-oh) is mainly grown in Puglia in the south of Italy, particularly in the provinces of Brindisi, Taranto and Lecce. Supposedly of Greek origin, this has yet to be confirmed by DNA analysis. It is used for both rosé and red wine styles and is the major component of many DOC wines, e.g. Brindisi, Copertino, Squinzano, Rosso di Cerignola and Salice Salentino—in many of these it is blended with  up to 20% Malvasia Nera. Globally there were 11460 ha in 2010 (down 31% from 2000), close to 100% in Italy.  Negroamaro makes up 14% of the planted area of Puglia.There do not appear to be significant plantings in any other countries. Synonyms include Abbruzzese, Abruzzese, Albese, Arbese, Arbise, Jonico, Lacrima, Mangiaverde , Mangiaverme, Negra della Lorena, Nero Amaro, Nero Leccese, Nicra Amaro, Niuri Maru and Uva Cane. In Australia there are currently at least 6 wine producers, mainly in warm to hot climatic regions in NSW and SA.

Viticulture

Budburst and maturity are mid-season to late. Vines are vigorous and growth habit is erect. Bunches are compact, medium to large and yield is moderate to high. Berries are purplish-black, medium to large with thick skin. In Italy it has been traditionally grown as bush vines, but performs well on various trellis systems.   With good basal bud fertility, it may be spur-pruned. Negro Amaro may be difficult to machine harvest because berries do not detach easily from bunch stems. It is susceptible to Botrytis due to the compact bunches, but is tolerant of downy and powdery mildews. With late budburst it can escape early spring frosts. Negro Amaro has performed extremely well under hot and dry conditions in Australia.

Wine

Negro Amaro has good acid retention and relatively low pH in hot climates. Phenolics are moderate to high. Wines have a fruity perfume with a good body, are well-rounded and slightly bitter. Descriptors include dark fruits, boysenberry, prune, spicy, dried cherry and chocolate. Wines have good ageing potential.