Tasting notes: First up is a bouquet of summer fruits; peaches and nectarines with a tangy grapefruit accent. Cantele Rosato Negroamaro 2007 IGT Puglia Pinkish rose with hints of copper paints this Rosato from Puglia, while sour cherry gummy bears and strawberries express the aromas.

Rita and I enjoyed the evening and the company too much to take extensive tasting notes, but I did text myself a few lines. Feudo di San Nicola Negroamaro 2004 IGT Puglia Smoky candy, ripe cherries, blueberries, strawberries, and spicy on the finish. Well, here they are. This wine is an excellent fruit forward California Cabernet.

At the NY Tre Bicchieri event yesterday I had the chance to buzz through the event fairly quickly, so my tasting notes are short and sweet. From the Salento IGT in Puglia, Italy comes this 100% Negroamaro aged 14 months in oak barriques and rated 90 points for the 2004 by Wine Enthusiast and a Tre Bicchieri for the 2005.

This dark red wine from Monteroni di Lecce in Puglia was my first taste of a Negroamaro , which means "black bitter". It's made from 100% Negroamaro grapes and grown in a red clay, sandstone and limestone soil, macerated in stainless steel vats on skins for 12 days, then straight to the bottle for 3 months.

Soil composition: sandy and clay: 95% Negroamaro, 5% Black Malvasia from Brindisi and from Lecce. ©2008 photo by Dave Trieger A great litle wine bar/restaurant called InVino , on the lower east side, is where I tried this red wine from Apuglia, (the heel of the boot) Italy. Vinification: in stainless steel containers. Aging: in oak barrels.