Primitivo

Lately Puglia has also become a very popular tourist destination with its beautiful beaches, crystal clear water and its typical and characteristic houses of Alberobello: the trulli, dry stone constructions with a conical shape to guarantee with its thick walls a good conservation of the heat inside during the winter on the coldest days, and the attenuation of heat in the summer on the hottest days.

And precisely because of these high temperatures that are found in Puglia during the summer, the Primitivo matures very quickly and hence its name which is therefore not to be associated with the word "primitive" but "premature" and here we find a similarity with a Spanish grape, Tempranillo. For this same reason, the grapes always reach an over-ripening and consequently the skins reach a very dark color tone and this obviously reflects on the color of the wines always very intense and opaque dark ruby red with spicy notes and ripe fruit on the nose especially black cherry and wild berries.

On the palate the Primitivo is soft, velvety and with a notable residual sugar, the alcohol content is always very high.

Overall it is a wine of great structure and remarkable persistence.

It is not suitable for aging as it does not have great acidity and does have tannins but not to a great extent.

Perhaps to some of you this wine reminds a little of Zinfandel and this is not by chance, in fact the two grape varieties are related as they are practically brothers since they share the same father, a Croatian grape called Plavac Mali.

There is also a sweet dessert version.

Primitivo is thought to have been brought to Puglia more than 2000 years ago by the ancient people of the Illyrians who inhabited the western part of the Balkan peninsula, right in front of Puglia on the other side of the Adriatic Sea.

In Puglia Primitivo has established itself in particular in the Manduria area and if the grapes come from this region, the wine can indicate on the label the Denomination "Primitivo di Manduria" DOCG

In the past, Primitivo due to its characteristics of high intensity and great body was used mainly to blend wines from northern Italy and France, especially in the colder years in which it was more difficult to reach maturity in the northern regions. Today, with global warming, this practice is less used and Apulian producers have reduced yields, returning to traditional forms of farming (Apulian free standing tree) and using more accurate winemaking techniques.

The Primitivo has thus led to truly remarkable products that have determined its rediscovery by the general public.

The ideal combinations with food are semi-hard blue cheeses, grilled meat not very fat like New York steak, spinach and sausage pasta, pork ribs in barbeque sauce, pulled pork.

Reccomended producers:

Cantina di San Marzano Primitivo di Manduria 60 Anni Old Vines, Vetrere Barone Pazzo, Gianfranco Fino Primitivo di Manduria Es, Torre Quarto Primitivo di Manduraia, Tenute Rubino Visellio, Soloperto Primitivo di Manduria Patriarca, Schola Sarmenti Diciotto, Podere Belmantello Darione, Morella La Signora, Feudi di Terrra d' Otranto Le Maschere

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