opertino is made 70 per cent from Negro Amaro grapes. The variety is clearly the best for the production of the typical rosé wines of the Salento. The variety's grapes offer a wide range of shadings, ranging from ruby red to garnet, and their wines have a pleasantly bitterish vein.Because of that constant characteristic and the black color of its clusters, the variety came to called "niuru maru" in the local dialect. That was later transformed into Negro Amaro. The remaining 30 per cent of the wine's composition consists of must from the Malvasia Nera di Brindisi and Malvasia Nera di Lecce varieties. They are part of the extensive family of Malvasias that originated in Greece and were brought to Apulia from the Peloponnisos.
The two varieties have many characteristics in common, such as the form of their clusters, the color of their grapes and the period of their ripening. The sole difference between the two Malvasias is the flavors of their musts, which are due more to climatic and soil conditions than to heredity.
The name of the wine is derived from that of a community in the province of Lecce, which is the center of its production. It is a town with a considerable history, having been founded after Saracen invaders had devastated the territory of Otranto in 924. Since that time, it has been a major center of winemaking. Its production, which has steadily expanded over the years, is much appreciated not only in Italy but also abroad. Copertino Rosso, especially the Riserva, can be considered one of the leading premium wines of the Salento.
