Apollonio Salice Salentino

Deep, inky red. Soft red cherry aroma with hints of graphite and licorice. Enters the mouth soft, with flavors similar to the aromas. Finishes with slightly astringent tannins and only modest complexity.

Salice Salentino is a small town in the “heel of the boot” in Italy’s Apulia region. Having been lucky enough to travel to the area, I can see how the extremely dry climate there serves to create this wine that is deep ruby in color, rich and heady with warm, complex aromas and flavors of dried cherry, raspberry, orange peel, coffee bean, vanilla, licorice and a hint of clove. The ample fruit and smooth structure means this wine is built for summer barbecues of chicken or ribs with a sweet and spicy sauce.