Ruby Afternoon

When the sun hides her face all day,
and spring wind still bites with winter,
a single glass of ruby wine
in a vessel threaded with an elegant stem
warms me in  infinitesimal sips
through the measured afternoon.

I didn’t know I could slow
down           this             much,
hadn’t known before, the pleasure
of satisfaction magnified
by time drawn out to timeless length—
and grapes that gave themselves to me.

©Susa Silvermarie 2019

about Cantalupi Primitivo Salenti from Conti Zecca;

Conti Zecca Company: For five centuries the Counts Zecca have lived in the lands of Leverano, in the heart of Salento. The land has always been heard by them, understood and put to good use, to complete, in the early 1900s, the production cycle from the cultivation to the vinification of the grapes of their own possessions, without ever altering the subtle balance of the place. The transition from the vineyard to the cellar was a natural consequence, followed on the farm today with the same dedication.

Over time the identity of people and place has been superimposed until it fades into a tangle of memory and nature. A harmonious correspondence made of passion and respect, guarded with the calmness and discretion of those who are committed to doing things with care. This spirit permeates all that comes to Leverano, like the Conti Zecca wines, which alone tell a story of quality founded on the native vines Negroamaro, Primitivo, Malvasia Nera and Bianca, as well as valuable native varieties that are well suited to the territory Salento. The four family estates, Cantalupi, Donna Marzia, Saraceno, Santo Stefano (for a total of 320 hectares), are facets of this unique feeling and give life to harmonious wines that many can enjoy. (Review by Roberto Gatti 11 May 2017)

More photos from today:

Inside Out Italy

Susanna with Maria Rossini