About Primitivo: Primitivo and Zinfandel have the same DNA, therefore the European Community allows the producers to label the wine with either name on the labels. It's unknown how the varietal arrived to Apulia, some think it came from Croatia, others think from Portugal or France. The best conditions to grow Primitivo are in the Salento peninsula (the area from Taranto to Brindisi to Lecce up to the eastern city of Otranto). The wind that blows in the Peninsula keeps the vines healthy and prevents the formation of mould. The high alcohol content, the intense fruity flavours (in particularly of spiced blackberry) make this varietal very appealing. Before becoming a well known varietal on its own, it was blended with other wines to give them weight and structure.

Varietal: Primitivo 100%.
Vineyard Areas: southern Salento region.
Training system: Alberello method, vines are on average fourty years old.
Vine density: 4,500 per hectare (1,870 per acre).
Yield of grapes in wine: 68 HL/Ha (Ton. 3.1 per acre).
Soil: red soil on a calcareous base, rich in bauxite.
Harvest: end of August. Primitivo is an early ripening varietal.
Wine-making: after de-stemming the grapes are not crushed, so the berries remain intact, assuring softer tannins and greater colour extraction. Selected yeasts are added and the fermentation starts at a controlled temperature of 22-25° C (70-75° F) for about ten days. The wine is left in contact with the skin for about other ten days, after which it's racked. Then the bacteria are added and the malolactic fermentation takes place, lasting about six days.
Aging: about a third of the wine is aged in two year old, small French barrique for four months, the remaining in stainless steel tanks. Then for three months in the bottle. The wine is then slightly filtered and separated from the residual yeasts and sediments, before bottling.
Alcohol: 14%

Winemaker's note: it has a deep ruby colour with flecks of strawberry-fuchsia when it's young. On the palate it has scents of wild blackberry and raspberry together with hints of violets, chocolate, tobacco and spices. Primitivo has a great structure and softness.
Food Pairing: grilled meats, roasted chicken, grilled vegetables and blue cheeses.
Serving temperature: 18°- 20° C (64°- 68°F)
Glass type: balloon.