Tre di Tre: three of three. The full stop of the range, and its most ambitious bottle. Negroamaro, Aglianico and Primitivo, and above all: a great deal more time. Where the Due di Due is done macerating within a week, this wine stays on the skins for weeks. You can taste it.

Character

Deep red, so dark you cannot see through it. The nose resembles its little brother — red fruit, jam, sweet spice — but the difference is on the palate. Here there is structure: firm tannins, length, and a finish that makes itself felt. That is the trio at work — the Negroamaro gives the skeleton, the Aglianico the tannin and acidity that keep the wine upright, the Primitivo the ripe fruit and the alcohol. At 14.5%, it is also the most powerful of the four.

Tasting notes

• Nose — red fruit and jam, with sweet and spicy notes.
• Palate — great structure and persistence, broad and lasting.
• Finish — tannic and pleasant, with a firm aftertaste.

How I pour it

At 18 to 20 °C, and feel free to decant it for half an hour. This wine opens up while you are at the table.

• With red meat from the barbecue or the grill pan.
• With a stew that has had hours on the heat.
• With lamb, rosemary and garlic.
• With aged cheese, instead of dessert.

What to do with it

This is the bottle in the range that makes the biggest impression without costing much — handy when you're invited somewhere and don't want to turn up with something ordinary. If it came as a gift, set it aside for a day with the grill on: alongside a light meal it overwhelms the food, next to grilled meat everything falls into place.

Origin & facts

• Grapes — Negroamaro, Aglianico and Primitivo
• Origin — Puglia IGT, Italy
• Alcohol — 14.5% vol
• Volume — 75 cl
• Winemaking — around 15 days of fermentation at constant temperature, skin maceration of 10 to 15 days at 25-28 °C, then a further 15 days at 30 °C, malolactic fermentation and natural ageing
• Producer — Lupo Meraviglia, Puglia