Puglia’s red gems is a wine case that brings together six expressions from one and the same producer: Schola Sarmenti, a leading estate in Nardò in the heart of Salento. The producer works with the region’s native grapes – above all Primitivo, Negroamaro, and Susumaniello – combining old alberello-trained vines, hand harvesting, and careful ageing in steel, wood, and tonneaux to create wines with warmth, depth, and personality. The result is a case that truly shows why Puglia has become one of Italy’s most loved regions for generous, flavourful, and food-friendly red wines.
Schola Sarmenti – Cubardi Primitivo
Cubardi is a dark, velvety, and generous Primitivo with clear personality. The palate moves toward ripe fruit with a soft finish of chocolate and coffee, and the overall impression is both full-bodied and embracing with a long aftertaste. It pairs especially well with grilled meat, entrecôte, lamb, rustic pasta dishes, and aged cheeses. The wine is made from 100 percent Primitivo from around 65-year-old vines, grown according to the Alberello Pugliese system. The grapes are hand-picked in ventilated crates, and the wine is then aged for 6 months in French tonneaux followed by 8 months in bottle.
Schola Sarmenti – Critèra Primitivo
Critèra is a juicier and more direct expression of Primitivo, with fleshy fruit, fine freshness, and soft yet lively tannins. The wine has a warm and generous style, but with enough energy to feel vibrant and balanced. It works beautifully with pizza, pasta with ragù, grilled chicken, pork dishes, and cheeses. The wine is made from 100 percent Primitivo from around 15-year-old vines trained in the Guyot system, hand-harvested and aged at controlled temperature in stainless steel to preserve fruit, freshness, and purity.
Schola Sarmenti – Nauna Primitivo Negroamaro
Nauna is a powerful yet elegant wine with ripe fruit, balsamic notes, lightly smoky nuances, and a long, harmonious finish. The tannins are soft and well integrated, making the wine both rich and very pleasant to drink. It pairs especially well with grilled beef, lamb, game, hearty slow-cooked dishes, and aged hard cheeses. The wine is a blend of 60 percent Negroamaro and 40 percent Primitivo from 50–55-year-old alberello-trained vines. The grapes are hand-harvested, and the wine is then aged for 8 months in French tonneaux followed by 8 months in bottle.
Schola Sarmenti – Armentino Primitivo-Negroamaro
Armentino is a warm and flavourful wine with clear southern Italian character. Here you find plums, black cherries, and ripe fruit in a powerful yet approachable style, where the tannic structure gives the wine both backbone and balance. It pairs very well with grilled meat dishes, spicy sausages, pasta with rich sauces, and cheeses with a little more saltiness. The wine is made from 50 percent Negroamaro and 50 percent Primitivo from around 55-year-old alberello-trained vines. The grapes are hand-picked in ventilated crates, and the wine is aged at controlled temperature in stainless steel to keep the fruit at the centre.
Schola Sarmenti – Artetica Primitivo Negroamaro
Artetica is one of the most polished and elegant wines in the case. The palate offers ripe black cherry fruit, dark berries, cocoa, and vanilla in a rich, soft, and persistent style that feels both generous and refined. It is an excellent match for lamb, veal, grilled mushroom dishes, pasta with truffle or mushrooms, and aged cheeses. The wine is made from 70 percent Primitivo and 30 percent Negroamaro from around 55-year-old alberello-trained vines. The grapes are hand-harvested and then aged for 6 months in French tonneaux, adding extra roundness and spice.
Schola Sarmenti – Nerio Riserva Negroamaro-Malvasia
Nerio Riserva is a warm, spicy, and highly charming wine with a light brick-red hue, clear spice notes, a discreet hint of sweetness, and a soft, delicate finish with touches of overripe fruit. It is a wine that combines elegance with generosity and works especially well with grilled meat, lamb, slow-cooked dishes, richly flavoured pasta dishes, and aged cheeses. The wine is made from 80 percent Negroamaro and 20 percent Malvasia Nera di Lecce from around 50-year-old alberello-trained vines. The grapes are hand-picked in ventilated crates, and the wine is aged for 8 months in French tonneaux followed by 8 months in bottle.
