Amativo: A Washington Interpretation of a Southern Italian Blend
A blend that once only existed in Puglia, now made in Washington.
A place known for Cabernet and Bordeaux blends, not Primitivo and Negro Amaro.
With hard-to-find Primitivo and even harder-to-find Negro Amaro, the question isn’t just what this wine is.
It’s why make it at all?
Primitivo and Negro Amaro: Two Southern Italian Grapes Meet in Washington
We’ve been making Primitivo since 2012 and have loved it ever since. It’s a southern Italian grape known for its ripe character: dark berries, plum, spice, moderate tannin, fuller body. Genetically, it’s the same grape as Zinfandel, though in Italy it leans more structured and savory.
Then an opportunity came up: Negro Amaro.
At first, we didn’t know much about it either. But it comes from the same region, Puglia. And after years of working with Primitivo, that was enough to try.
Negro Amaro brings something different. Less upfront fruit. More structure. Darker tones: black cherry, dried herbs and a subtle bitterness that gives the grape its name (Amaro).
And there’s only one vineyard of Negro Amaro in Washington.
We released it on its own in 2022.
But over time, it became clear these two belonged together.
This wasn’t inevitable, it was a calculated experiment.
Why Washington Can Grow More Than Just Cabernet
Washington grows over 80 varietals.
The sun, water, and growers make it possible to grow almost anything. But most wineries still work within familiar styles.
We chose to rebuild something specific.
“I don’t know anyone in the PNW doing this.” -Bart
There’s only one way to understand it, to taste.
From Puglia to Washington: Same Grapes, Different Expression
The idea comes from Italy, the iteration from Washington.
Same grapes, different environment.
“We keep up with the Italians when it comes to fruit, power, and balance. Fortunately, I work with experienced grape growers. Additionally, we have plenty of water and heat to ripen almost anything.” -Bart
What Amativo Tastes Like: Fruit, Structure, and Balance
On the palate, it’s immediately approachable, yet still a serious wine drinker’s challenge.
Fruit draws you in first. But the blend doesn’t give everything away.
Portalis Wine Shop in Ballard (a great place to find us in the Seattle area) put it this way:
“Spicy plums, black raspberries on the beautiful nose. Palate opens into blackberry with a lift of acidity. Medium-bodied, long, fruity, spicy finish… that wine is S-E-X-Y.”
Aged with neutral oak, to preserve the nuance of the grapes themselves.
Let the varietals lead the wine, no need for excess manipulation.
Amativo, Super Italian, Exploration, and Focus
This blend builds upon some of our other recent blends like the Super Italian.
A Sagrantino and Primitivo blend that breaks expectations of what an Italian blend can be by pulling from different regions entirely. Achieving something completely new, alien to the Apennine peninsula.
The amativo is a more pinpoint exploration of a specific region, Puglia. While still achieving the same approachability of Super Italian and even Nero d’Avola.
In an attempt to bring Italy to Washington we’ve created something worth exploring.
We don’t make wines to fit expectations.
We make them to broaden them.
Amativo is built to evolve.
Try it along with our other releases, the Aligote and the Tannat.
