Doppio Passo Copertino Riserva 2017

If you like the dark, baked fruit flavours of southern Italian reds, here's one to top the bill. It's from the Botter family winery, founded in Puglia in 1928. There they employ the skills of winemaker Marco Flacco. For extra power and intensity, he used pure Negroamaro taken from the tiny enclave of Copertino. He vinified the main batch, but let a portion of the grapes ripen longer on the vine and fermented them separately. The main wine is then repassed over the grape skins from the longer hang portion to produce a more intense, weighty style, much like Ripasso they use in the north. This vintage it's superb Riserva level too, thanks to the extra time it’s spent ageing in barrel and bottle. Open early and serve with rich pork dishes.