Hailing from Puglia, Italy, that region whose towns are well-known for the dry stone and conical-roof Trulli houses, is also where this bottle of Nero di Troia hails. Not a grape that is commonly in circulation, this indigneous, high quality grape, many believe, produces some of the best and most interesting wines from the region. The origin story of Nero di Troia is unclear, but there are two working versions: it is said to have arrived with Greek colonists in ancient times, perhaps with the Battle of Troy hero, Diomedes, who brought this vine to the Puglia region where he settled after the city’s fall; it is also said to be maned after Troi, a town in northern Puglia. We kind of of hope it’s the former, because the taste is so rich and so distinct, it’s like sipping the history of the ancient world’s conflicts, with its pungent earth and leather and persistent fruits.