Its secret? The warm sun of Salento. It is thanks to it, to its warm rays, that the Negroamaro grape bunches manage to reach full ripeness. And from them comes the Terra d'Otranto DOC Pepe, by Cantina Menhir. The locality is Minervino di Lecce, where the soils are clayey-sandy, with calcareous rock. An ideal habitat for this vine. A wine characterised by a strong personality and an unmistakable Mediterranean character, the grapes come from vineyards with an average age of 10 years, trained by spurred cordon. Manual harvesting begins in the second week of September, when the grapes reach perfect ripeness. This is followed by fermentation with maceration at a controlled temperature that favours the production of the typical aromas and flavours of Negroamaro. The wine is also not aged in wood, to preserve its freshness and vitality. In the Pepe glass it has a beautiful intense ruby red colour with garnet hues. The nose offers a rich bouquet of wild berries, such as blackberry and black cherry. Then spicy notes of cloves and black pepper, complemented by a fresh note of mint. In the mouth, the wine is vigorous and enveloping, with soft tannins and a lingering finish. Perfect with red meat dishes, it also holds up well with game and mature cheeses. Try it with a tagliata of beef with herbs or scaloppine alla pizzaiola.