A-Mano
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| Region: |
Apulia (Puglia) |
| Winery: |
A-Mano |
| Owner: |
M. Shannon, E. Sbalchiero |
| Winemaker: |
Mark Shannon |
| Location: |
Castellaneta |
| Province: |
Taranto |
| Website: |
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| News: |
A-Mano Bianco: Mark & Elvie's first white!
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A-Mano was the first of the Shannon/Sbalchiero brands to come into being, so it is not surprising its name should be tantamount to a declaration of intent, the Puglian mission itself of these two wonderful people. True enough, A-Mano means hand-made.
Entirely hand-crafted from old vines of the indigenous Primitivo variety (Zinfandel's granddaddy), these fruit-packed, food-friendly red IGTs express the region's quality potential, and the reasons for co-owner/California winemaker Mark Shannon's Apulian connection.
Motives best told by Mark himself: Apulia (or Puglia, as it is known in Italian) is so easy to fall in love with: old, head-trained vineyards, a history of grape-growing in harmony with nature. Everything necessary for top-quality wines. I was compelled to stay. I have not seen another region of the world where the quality potential is so high. After so many years of technical winemaking, I had almost forgotten that the right way to make wine is with love. In fact, Puglia reminded me this is the way to do everything.
If ever we saw a labor of love, A-Mano and Prima-Mano (the barrique-aged Private Reserve, issued in the finest years) are it. Mark's passionate professionalism has achieved a winning combination of California-style technology (jacketed rotary fermenters, heat exchangers, stainless steel equipment on a state-of-the-art scale etc.), and Apulian tradition and terroir (70 to 100-year-old, hand-cultivated, low-yielding vines, still head-trained as they were by the ancient Phoenicians; Puglia's unique alluvial soil, beautiful even to look at: deep red and sienna-colored, ideal for this structured, extract-packed native variety). Add to all the above a northern Italian logistical genius called Elvezia Sbalchiero as Mark's partner; a forward-thinking winery, willing to invest in technology and be the premier winery in Puglia; the perfect location within Primitivo's golden triangle; Mark Shannon's 360-degree quality control; the superb packaging and clockwork synergy...
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