2019 Gianfranco Fino Salento Negraomaro Jo Magnum

The Michelin guide to restaurants, the Vini d'Italia from publisher Gambero Rosso for the best Italian wines. Recently, the 25th edition was published, which judges on the basis of the quality of the wine and its continuity over the years. Michelin gives stars, the Gambero gives glasses. Tre Bicchieri (3 glasses) is the ultimate rating. The guide is 1,000 pages thick, rated 2,350 producers and over 10,000 wines. However, this guide remains the foremost reviewer of wines in Italy and Gianfranco Fino's wines have been voted the absolute number 1. Gianfranco Fino started this domain in 2004 when he bought a 50-year-old vineyard Primitivo. Despite its recent start, the domain is already a reference point in the region. The wines already have a cult following among wine journalists and aficionados. Extreme quality .

Jo comes from Jonino, the Italian and Latin name for the Ionian Sea. The Manduria area that is located here is the area where the Negramaro grape comes into its own. The Jo is the very best Negramaro wine from a 40-50 year old vineyard. No pesticides, no fertilizer, but optimal conditions and the art of winemaking. 9 months of wood ageing gives a great full, firm wine with red and black fruit. Dark in color with notes of laurel, cocoa. Only a few thousand bottles of Gianfranco Jp are made.

Magnum 1.5 liter bottle in wooden box.

For the Gianfranco Jo, the Negroamaro grapes are allowed to wither on the plant for some time. This process is called Appassimento and Gianfranco is the absolute reference for good Appassimento wines (full, beautiful fruit but also with fresh acidity). When the time is right, the withered grapes are harvested by hand in plastic boxes with careful selection of the bunches and these are transported in refrigerated truck. In the winery, the 2nd strict selection takes place after which the wine is very lightly pressed and fermentation/maceration takes place in 600 liter oak barrels for more than two weeks (temperature controlled with a max T. 23-25 ° C). The wine is then aged for about 10 months in new French oak. The wine is bottled without the use of fining agents and without filtering and then remains in the bottle for a minimum of 6 months before being released.