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Case & Cork

Producer Puglia, Italy

A Mano

A Mano is the Puglia project of Mark Shannon and Elvezia Sbalchiero, partners in life and work. Over more than 18 vintages in the south of Italy, they have helped turn Primitivo into one of the region's most talked-about grapes.

Their secret is not much of a secret. They pay growers in Salento fair, high prices for the best grapes, often from vines 70 to 100 years old. Growers soon learned that the better price only comes with better fruit, so quality keeps climbing.

The range covers a lot of ground. There is a Fiano white with pear and orange blossom, a delicate Primitivo rosé, a rich red made from partly dried grapes, and an inky, full-bodied Susumaniello. That old local grape's name means 'little donkey', after the heavy crop young vines carry.

A Mano wines