his Apulian wine is produced in the community of the same name, which is located in the province of Lecce. The town is known not only for the quality of its wine but also for its 17th-century parish church of San Nicola.Squinzano, produced in red and rosé versions, is obtained principally from the Negro Amaro grape, with a small addition of Malvasia Nera di Brindisi and Malvasia Nera di Lecce.
The vineyards of the southern part of Apulia have been planted almost exclusively in Negro Amaro since the 6th century BC. The wine obtained from Negro Amaro ranges in shading from ruby to garnet red and its flavor features a pleasantly bitterish vein. Because of those constant characteristics and the black hue of the clusters, the variety was called "niuru maru" in the local dialect. The name was gradually transformed into Negro Amaro.
In the Salento nearly two centuries ago, another variety known as Negro Dolce was also widely cultivated. Its characteristics were exactly the opposite of Negro Amaro's.
The other varieties belong to the family of the Malvasias, of Greek origin. They arrived in Apulia from the Peloponissos and, particularly, the town of Monemvasia. Today, two types are widely cultivated, the Malvasia Nera di Lecce and the Malvasia Nera di Brindisi, and they have many characteristics in common. The difference in the flavor of the two Malvasias' musts is due more to soil and climatic conditions than to heredity.
