Falciato Leverano DOC

Own label of Laithwaites

Grape
Negroamaro
Denomination
Leverano DOC
Region
Puglia
ABV
12.5%
Drink
2025: 2026 to 2029

A Laithwaites exclusive from Leverano DOC in Salento: a Negroamaro-led blend at 12.5% ABV with dark cherry, soft spice and a chocolatey edge. Plush, medium to full bodied, made to drink young with roasts and ragù.

Price
£16.00

2025 · 75cl · checked 6 Nov · Delivery £7.99, free on 12+ bottles

Black FridayNo checked saving on this wine today. See every checked deal

We track 1 UK retailer across all vintages and formats, including out-of-stock offers. Prices read several times a week. We earn a commission on some links; it never changes the order.

Where to buy Falciato Leverano

£16.00 price · 1 retailer with 75cl · 2025 in stock · checked 6 Nov 2026

One shop on this page sells this wine, so there is no price to compare between shops. Each price is the one we last read on its page, on the date beside it.

Laithwaites Best price 2025 · 75cl · checked 6 Nov · Delivery £7.99, free on 12+ bottles
Read from the retailer's page on the date shown, so treat it as a guide and confirm at the retailer.
£16.00 £21.33/L

Stock status is read from each retailer’s page several times a week and may lag.

Tasting Notes

Tasting Falciato: Leverano's dark cherry and cocoa

Falciato follows the Leverano DOC rosso blueprint: a Negroamaro-led blend with dark cherry and plum fruit, light spice and a chocolatey edge, and the 2025 shows exactly that.

Tasted by
ItalianWines editorial
Tasted on
18 July 2026
Vintage in glass
2025
Source
Style guidance · confidence Medium
Typical of Negroamaro
Body Light / Full
Tannins Smooth / Grippy
Sweetness Dry / Sweet
Acidity Soft / Crisp
Nose

Dark cherry and plum lead, lifted by the light fennel-and-pepper spice that runs through Leverano's Negroamaro-led rosso. A chocolatey depth sits underneath rather than on top.

Black cherryBlack cherry
PlumPlum
StrawberryStrawberry
Black pepperBlack pepper
VanillaVanilla
ChocolateChocolate
Palate

Medium to full bodied and silky at a moderate 12.5% ABV, well under the 14% plus that many warm-climate Salento reds reach. Leverano DOC rules demand at least half Negroamaro and it shows: plush dark fruit and soft tannin. The appellation's mandated 4.5 g/l minimum acidity keeps the sweetness of ripe 2025 fruit in check.

Finish

Medium length, closing on cocoa and Negroamaro's gently bitter amaro twist rather than oak; the Leverano disciplinare imposes no barrel ageing on the rosso and this is bottled young.

Overall

An own-label Leverano DOC bottled only for Laithwaites. It is a rare UK sighting of a Salento appellation set up in 1979 and mostly drunk locally. Open now through 2029. The appellation's benchmark rosso from the Leverano cooperative is an easy, warm, velvety wine, and this follows the same template.

Drink now Best by 2029
Live UK pricing

Buying Falciato in the UK

Falciato is bottled exclusively for Laithwaites, so the single listing at £15.99 is the whole UK market for this label; Leverano DOC otherwise rarely leaves Salento.

Best price · 75 cl · 2025 £16.00 at Laithwaites
75cl · 2025 available from Laithwaites £16.00, in stock
Vintages live 2025 Newest vintage on sale here: 2025
Per-litre (75cl · 2025 basis) £21.33 Lowest current 75cl · 2025 offer
Last checked 6 Nov 2026 Refreshed once every 24 hours
Wine fit score

How Falciato scores as an Italian wine pick

Falciato's plush, low-tannin Leverano style lifts its food, beginner and everyday scores, while the drink-by-2029 window caps the cellar case.

Best intro to this style 8.8/10

Silky, plush and chocolatey at 12.5% ABV with no aggressive tannin; Negroamaro's gentle bitter finish is the only quirk a newcomer will meet.

Best with food 8.5/10

Medium to full body, soft tannin and Leverano DOC's 4.5 g/l minimum acidity make it flexible across roasts, ragù and aged cheese. Only fierce chilli heat is off the table.

Best everyday bottle 7.5/10

Drink-young style and sub-£20 price suit weeknight roasts and pasta, though £15.99 sits above true house-wine territory.

Best value 5.5/10

At £15.99 for an own-label Leverano DOC, you pay a premium for UK exclusivity: benchmark bottles of the appellation sell for around 6 to 9 euros in Italy. That is our own judgement against the category, not a live price comparison.

Best for an occasion 4.0/10

An entry-tier DOC own-label rather than a statement bottle; a generous table red, not a gift or celebration centrepiece.

Best for cellar 2.5/10

No ageing mandate in the Leverano disciplinare and a drink-by of end 2029: released young, buy to drink, not to lay down.

Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.

Denomination Compliance Snapshot

Leverano in five fields

A compact view of what the Leverano denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.

Allowed grapes
Variety list not yet recorded
This bottle: Negroamaro.
Minimum ageing
Recorded by producer
Disciplinare ageing rule not yet recorded.
Region / area
Puglia
Style
DOC · Leverano
Classification
DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata)
Vintages

The 2025 vintage in Salento

2025 was a generous Puglian harvest, up 17% on 2024 with quality the regional press called excellent; Negroamaro came in from mid-September after even, gradual ripening.

2025 Newest vintage on sale here
Best price
£16.00
Retailers
1 in stock
ABV
12.5%
Window
Drink now through 2029

Salento's 2025 season ran hot and dry through summer yet ripened gradually and evenly, and Puglia's harvest came in 17% up on 2024 with quality the regional press rated excellent. Negroamaro was picked from mid-September; drink this ripe, ready vintage before the end of 2029.

Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.

The disciplinare, the place, the label

Leverano DOC, the appellation behind Falciato

Leverano has held DOC status since 1979, a small zone inland from the Gulf of Taranto. Its rosso must be at least half Negroamaro, with Malvasia Nera di Lecce, Montepulciano and Sangiovese in support.

01

DOC, DOCG, IGT: what the badges mean

Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.

Leverano is in the DOC tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.

02

The denomination rules, in detail

  • Allowed grapes. Varieties not yet recorded
  • Tasting panel. Chemical analysis and a tasting commission before sale, required by Italian law for every DOC and DOCG
03

Region and area context

Leverano falls within Puglia.

Leverano DOC zone
04

Reading the label

  • NegroamaroGrape varieties
  • Leverano DOCGeographic indication and quality tier
  • 2025Vintage of the 75 cl bottle on sale here
  • 12.5% vol · 75 clAlcohol by volume and bottle size
05

What sits behind the price of Falciato Leverano

Tracked from
£16.00
Direction
Mostly cost up
Drivers
3 up / 2 down
Main factor
Single-retailer own-label run for Laithwaites
  1. 01

    Single-retailer own-label run for Laithwaites

    Cost up

    Falciato is sold only by Laithwaites: an exclusive parcel of a DOC almost never seen overseas, bottled in limited runs, and that exclusivity is priced into the £15.99.

  2. 02

    UK duty and VAT on a £15.99 bottle

    Cost up

    At 12.5% ABV, HMRC duty on still wine is £2.67 and VAT accounts for £2.67 of the £15.99 shelf price, so roughly £5.34 is tax before any wine is paid for.

  3. 03

    Cooperative-scale Negroamaro farming on the Salento plain

    Cost down

    Leverano's flat, warm vineyards are farmed at scale, much of the zone by the village cooperative Vecchia Torre, founded in 1959 by 44 growers. Generous yields (Puglia 2025 came in 17% up) keep base fruit cost low.

  4. 04

    No mandatory oak or cellar ageing in the Leverano disciplinare

    Cost down

    Leverano rosso has no minimum ageing requirement, so Falciato is released young with no barrel programme or storage years to finance.

  5. 05

    DOC certification of a small delimited zone

    Cost up

    Leverano DOC (established 1979) limits fruit to a small zone around the town and requires at least 50% Negroamaro and 11.5% minimum alcohol. That adds compliance cost over generic Puglia IGT.

01

Single-retailer own-label run for Laithwaites

Cost up

Falciato is sold only by Laithwaites: an exclusive parcel of a DOC almost never seen overseas, bottled in limited runs, and that exclusivity is priced into the £15.99.

Food Pairing

What to eat with a Negroamaro-led Leverano rosso

The disciplinare's own matches for Leverano rosso are meat-led pasta, roast or grilled meat and medium-aged cheese; Falciato's soft tannin and 12.5% ABV keep all three comfortable.

Body matching Strong match

Sunday roast beef and lamb

Roast beef and lamb suit Falciato's structure: a medium to full Negroamaro-led Leverano rosso whose silky tannin wraps around roast meat without heavy grip. At 12.5% ABV it stays comfortable across a long Sunday lunch.

Try with: Sunday Roast Beef · Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce · Leg of lamb · More pairings →

Acidity matching Strong match

Hearty ragù and slow-cooked meat

Leverano DOC mandates a minimum 4.5 g/l acidity. That freshness cuts through slow-cooked meat and tomato-based sauces, while the dark cherry fruit echoes softened tomato. A lamb ragù is the natural southern Italian call.

Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · Beef stew · Lamb shank · More pairings →

Salt balance Good match

Aged pecorino and hard cheeses

The plush, chocolate-edged fruit balances the salt crystals of well-aged cheese, and the Leverano disciplinare itself lists medium-aged cheese among the rosso's classic matches. A mature pecorino is the local table's default.

Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · aged Parmesan · mature Cheddar · More pairings →

Aromatic bridge Good match

Chargrilled and barbecued meat

Roast and grilled meat are the Leverano disciplinare's stated pairings for the rosso. Falciato's soft spice and cocoa notes bridge to char and caramelised edges on grilled lamb, without the alcohol spike a 14.5% Primitivo brings to the barbecue.

Try with: Lamb chops · Rack of lamb · Lamb Kebab · More pairings →

Avoid Clash

Fierce chilli heat

Chilli amplifies alcohol and bitterness. Against real heat the 12.5% warmth and Negroamaro's amaro twist turn harsh, and the plush chocolatey fruit reads jammy. Keep Falciato away from Sichuan fire and hot Indian gravies.

Skip with: Crispy chilli beef · Szechuan beef · Lamb bhuna · Tandoori lamb chops · Pairing guide →

Drinking + cellar

Falciato and the cellar: a drink-now red

No Leverano rosso carries an ageing mandate and the 2025 carries a 31 December 2029 drink-by date, so treat Falciato as a wine to enjoy, not to store.

Drinking window
2025: 2026 to 2029

For the main offer above.

Decanting
1 hour

A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.

Serving temperature
16-18°C

Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.

Cellar potential
Low

No ageing mandate in the Leverano disciplinare and a drink-by of end 2029: released young, buy to drink, not to lay down.

Buy now or wait?
Buy now

£16.00 for a 75cl bottle of the 2025, at Laithwaites, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.

Sources & trust

Sources behind this Falciato page

Prices & stock

Read directly from each retailer’s public product page several times a week. Last refresh: 6 Nov 2026, 04:53 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.

Confidence · High
Who owns this label

The name on the label belongs to Laithwaites, a shop, not to a winery. Laithwaites is the only UK shop we track that sells it, so there is no price comparison to make. How we tell estate, shop and brand labels apart.

Confidence · High
Tasting notes

A style read drawn from the grape and the appellation, not from this exact bottle. We mark these notes openly so you know what you are reading.

Confidence · Medium
Appellation rules & ageing

From the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.

Confidence · High
Why it costs what it costs

Our reading of the price, from how this wine is made, the rules of its appellation, UK duty and VAT and the price shops charge for it today. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.

Confidence · Medium
Drink window & cellar potential

The drinking years for the main offer apply to its 2025 vintage. Treat them as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.

Confidence · Medium
Related

Falciato's place in the Italian wine map

Denomination
Leverano DOC

Common Questions

The producer is not named: Falciato is an own-label Leverano DOC red bottled for Laithwaites, part of Direct Wines. The fruit comes from the small Leverano zone in Salento. Most of the appellation's Negroamaro is farmed by the village cooperative Vecchia Torre, founded in 1959, and the Conti Zecca estate. The label does not disclose which cellar supplied this parcel.

Falciato is sold as a red blend without a published recipe. Leverano DOC rules require at least 50% Negroamaro in every rosso, with Malvasia Nera di Lecce, Montepulciano and Sangiovese permitted alongside, so Negroamaro leads whatever the exact mix.

Dark cherry and plum with light spice and a chocolatey edge, medium to full bodied and silky at 12.5% ABV. Expect the gentle bitter twist on the finish that marks Negroamaro; tannin stays soft throughout.

Roast beef or lamb, hearty ragù and aged cheeses are the natural matches. They track the Leverano disciplinare's classic pairings of meat-led pasta, roast or grilled meat and medium-aged cheese. Avoid fierce chilli heat, which clashes with the wine's warmth and bitter edge.

Drink it between now and the end of 2029, the drink-by date for the 2025. Leverano rosso carries no ageing mandate and is released young; the generous, evenly ripened 2025 Salento harvest made ripe wine that is ready from day one.

You are paying for UK exclusivity as much as for the liquid: benchmark Leverano DOC rosso retails around 6 to 9 euros in Italy but almost never reaches Britain. Judged as a plush, soft southern red on a UK shelf, it competes with mid-priced Primitivo and Salice Salentino, not with supermarket Puglia IGT.

You May Also Appreciate

Affiliate disclosure. Some links above are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Editorial coverage, ratings and tasting notes are written independently and a retailer cannot pay to be listed or to be ranked higher.

How retailer prices are sourced. Prices and stock are read from each retailer’s public product page several times a week. Outbound buy links carry rel="nofollow sponsored noopener". The list is sorted by price; we do not accept payment for placement.

What we will never do. Imply we tasted a bottle when we didn’t. Imply stock when a retailer is out. Imply independence on links that are paid affiliate links.

Falciato Leverano