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06/03/2001 Archived Entry: "Wine Buy: Taurino Salice Salentino Riserva 1997"

Taurino is a producer in Puglia (the stiletto heel of the Italian boot) and Salice Salentino is one of the most important red wines of the region. The Taurino Salice Salentino Riserva 1997 is proof of the greatness of southern Italian reds. The wine , which is a blend of the Negroamaro and Malvasia Rossa grapes, possesses the rich, ripe fruit that the southern climate produces. I would want to drink it with important meat: a pork roast flavored with rosemary and garlic (arista, the Tuscans call it), or braised, grilled or roasted beef. It would be marvelous alongside some short ribs cooked in a dark, dense sauce. It would be fabulous with venison or duck, or wild game. I would open a bottle to drink with a collection of southern Italian cheeses. For those, I might click on Esperya.com.

Puglia produces more wine than anywhere else in Italy, neck on neck with Sicily. However, it has only been since the late 1970s, that it has been taken seriously as a source of fine wine. The late Dr. Cosimo Taurino and family have been making delicious and very reliable, great-value wines since then. His son now carries on the family tradition and business.

The average retail price is $11.99. It is imported by Leonardo Locasio and distributed by Winebow