After 3 days and 200 some odd wines- the members of the jury were ready to announce the outcome. Members of the Puglian wine community gathered. Winemakers, families, journalists- the whole lot. It was great to see and hear an open dialogue (that i could sort of understand) about the state of Puglian wine and to feel that everyone genuinely wanted to improve not only the perception and knowledge of Puglia but most importantly the wine itself.
The full list of winners (in Italian!) can be found at Franco Zilliani’s site, Vino al Vino . Negroamaro was the star varietal of the tasting. 1st place Overall went to Apollonio’s 2004 Negroamaro. 2nd place, oddly enough, went to Grifalco’s 2007 Aglianico….from nearby Basilicata. Not a Puglian wine at all (there was a small category of Aglianico del Vulture.) And 3rd- another negroamaro, Schola Sarmenti’s 2005 riserva. We judged white wines, rosati and reds. There were winners in each category as well usually broken down by varietal. Bombino bianco, fiano minutolo, greco, malvasia bianco, aglianico, primitivo, nero di troia, negroamaro…all native grapes. And I even got to try two varietals I had never tried or even heard of- tuccanese and susumaniello!
Our last night, after the awards ceremony, was spent by our now beloved pool with the other judges, plates of cheese and salumi and many bottles of wine scored from the reception. It was delightful. I was seriously honored to be a part of the jury which included some great wine writers and critics from around the world. Who also happened to be hilarious. Take a look at this video made by the President of the Jury- Carlo Macchi of Wine Surf. Which actually takes place IN the pool.
And check out my partner in crime Christina‘s great write-up on the festival. She is much more detailed than I could ever be (considering I left my notebook of wine notes in the hotel!) And her opinions of the wine were generally on par with mine. A big giant grazie to Franco for inviting me to be a part of this jury. I had a blast and learned quite a bit about a region and its wine that I wasn’t so familiar with. Saluti!
