Due di Due: two of two. Negroamaro and Malvasia nera together in one bottle. Where the Tre di Tre brings three together and draws structure from them, this one goes for suppleness — a shorter maceration, softer tannins. This is the red you open without an occasion.

Character

Deep red with a garnet rim. On the nose, red fruit heading towards jam, shot through with sweet and spicy notes — typical Puglia, where the sun ripens the fruit a long way. That is exactly what this pair does: the Negroamaro sets the structure and the dark fruit, the Malvasia nera brings perfume and softness. On the palate it is concentrated but never stern: the tannins are there, but rounded off.

Tasting notes

• Nose — red fruit and jam, with sweet spice behind it.
• Palate — elegant and concentrated, with soft, velvety tannins.
• Finish — long and pleasantly savoury, with a lasting roundness.

How I pour it

At 18 to 20 °C. Rooms are often warmer than that these days, so half an hour somewhere cool does it good.

• With pasta in a robust tomato sauce or a ragù.
• With red meat, grilled or pan-fried.
• With grilled vegetables and some aged cheese grated over.
• With a charcuterie board, on an ordinary weeknight.

What to do with it

A bottle with no threshold: you don't need to cook anything special, and you don't need to know anything about wine to enjoy it. If it came as a gift, that is exactly its strength — it goes with almost anything you might think of. And if a little is left? A splash in tomorrow's sauce or stew is never wasted.

Origin & facts

• Grapes — Negroamaro and Malvasia nera
• Origin — Puglia IGT, Italy
• Alcohol — 14% vol
• Volume — 75 cl
• Winemaking — cold maceration of 24 to 36 hours, fermentation rising from 25 to 28-29 °C, post-fermentation maceration of 5 to 7 days, then malolactic fermentation and natural ageing
• Producer — Lupo Meraviglia, Puglia