Tenerezza Rose 2020, is made from 100% Montepulciano picked from young vines which undergo spontaneous fermentation in steel with direct press before being aged for 6 months in steel tanks, before packing into a beautifully designed 1 litre bottle.

Once you pop that crown cap be prepared for big aromas of wild flowers, hay, apple and heaps of cranberry. The palate starts with some pretty prominent mineral notes (chalk) before it goes all fruity with pomegranate, blueberry, currant, and cherry.

Valentina Passalacqua is a trailblazing young natural winemaker in Puglia, a region not exactly known for biodynamic, no sulfur wines. She took over her family’s land (used only for cattle grazing since 1900), located inside Gargano National Park, to create a diverse farm that includes indigenous grape varietals. Her family considered the land too difficult, too poor, for crops, not realizing that they were actually sitting on a precious marble mine – or soil that happens to be amazing for vines. The rocky, mineral-rich soil does not retain water (also great for vines), and proximity to the sea means cooling breezes and ventilation (another plus).

Valentina’s wines are pure, elegant, never soupy as you sometimes see in wines from Puglia (it’s hot there). Because, she is careful about canopy management (to ensure grapes don’t get cooked) and picks early to retain freshness and acidity.