Primitivo di Manduria, located in the Southern region of Puglia, is one of Italy’s most iconic regions. This remarkable area is commonly known for its ancient stone huts, charming country-side and distinctive red wines.
- What is Primitivo di Manduria?
- What is the difference between Primitivo and Zinfandel?
- How do you pronounce Primitivo?
- Is Primitivo dry?
- Is Primitivo full-bodied?
- What is similar to Primitivo?
- What is Primitivo Quiles?
Puglia as a whole is rich in culture with century-old winemaking traditions and unmistakable wine characteristics.
And being one of the warmest regions of Italy, the grapes in this region flourish and develop into a spectacular expression of the region’s terroir. With a combination of fertile soil and sufficient heat, the wines from Primitivo di Manduria express luscious wines with great weight, intensity and abundance of flavor. It is here, where the historic Primitivo grape has set its roots, presenting one of Italy’s most celebrated varieties.
What is Primitivo di Manduria?
It is a designated viticultural area in Puglia.
This is essentially a sub-region that is famously known for growing Primitivo, which plays a major role in defining southern Italy’s style.
Primitivo, the grape variety, is also commonly known as Zinfandel - which is better recognized in California’s Winelands. This variety produces dark-red wines with succulent fruit flavors and grippy tannins.
These high tannins that are a defining trait of Primitivo often enforce the need for the wine to be matured in oak barrels and bottles before being released. Most producers aim to age their wines for 4 to 5 years before release and encourage further ageing for up to fifteen years to truly receive this varieties best traits.
What is the difference between Primitivo and Zinfandel?
The difference between Primitivo and Zinfandel include the primary aromas, the sweetness and the body.
Although Primitivo and Zinfandel are precisely the same grape variety, they present somewhat different characteristics. The difference, though, is mainly to do with soil and the climate variations of these two regions. These key differences in the soil and weather are what distinguishes Primitivo characteristics from those of Zinfandel.
With Primitivo, the tannins are extremely high, with fruity notes along with pepper and floral aromas. Zinfandel also offers great fruitiness, but with less grippy tannins, and a greater concentration of jammy, cooked fruit flavors.
Because of California’s intense heat, Zinfandel also accumulates more sugar, which results in sweeter wines with higher alcohol levels compared to Primitivo.
How do you pronounce Primitivo?
You pronounce Primitivo as Pree-mee-tee-voh
Fortunately, Primitivo is relatively simple to pronounce - with extended sounds of the letter ‘i’.
The word Primitivo is derived from a Latin word, that translates to “Original, the most remarkable or the most illustrious” which is a great indicator of how this variety was perceived in its earliest discovery.
Is Primitivo dry?
Primitivo can be made in a dry, semi-sweet or sweet style.
When Primitivo is made to be bone-dry, all the natural sugar is converted into alcohol and results in an incredibly full-bodied, highly alcohol red wine.
Some great examples of producers who have created the classic, dry style that is most associated with Primitivo, include Actarus Primitivo di Manduria, Primitivo Epicuro and Grifone Primitivo. See more.
There are cases, however, where some of this sugar is left in the wine and has not been converted into alcohol. The result is a semi-sweet wine, with lower alcohol and a distinct sweetness to it.
With completely sweet Primitivo wines, the grapes are often left to dry out on the vines, which allows all the water to evaporate from the berries, leaving a sweet concentrate of pure sugar in the grapes. This sweet style of Primitivo is better known as Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale - indicating that this wine is from this region, but is ‘naturally sweet’.
This sweet version isn’t always accomplished, and can only occur during a harvest season where the climate is in favor of drying out the grapes. When these grapes cannot be dried out, they simply have to be used to produce semi-sweet or dry wines.
Is Primitivo full-bodied?
Primitivo is almost always full-bodied.
Some of Primitivo’s most distinct traits, it’s the intensity of its flavors, it’s full-body and its tenacious tannins.
The wine’s full-body stems from the fact that this variety is able to accumulate sugar rapidly while ripening in the vineyard. So when made in a dry style and all the sugar is converted into alcohol, which results in a fuller-body feel. The high tannins that this wine develops also plays a major role in the weight of this wine.
This full-bodied and bold style is another distinctive trait of the Actarus Primitivo di Manduria Primitivo Epicuro and Grifone Primitivo wines and their expression of this variety.
Even when the variety is made in a sweeter-style, the natural sugar that is converted into alcohol can escalate rapidly and contribute to the weight and body of the wine.
What is similar to Primitivo?
The wines similar to Primitivo include California Zinfandel, Italian Negroamaro and New-world Merlot.
Although Primitivo has its own distinct traits, Negroamaro, Merlot and Zinfandel wines have similar characteristics to the Primitivo.
Zinfandel, being the same variety, has the jamminess, alcohol and body that you would expect from its Italian counterpart.
Negroamaro, a variety also grown in Southern Italy, has the body, fruitiness and ripeness that you’d find in Primitivo.
With more familiar varieties, you’ll find that Merlot is grown in hot regions, like Paarl South Africa or New South Wales, Australia which also has the intense fruitiness and similar aromas than those of Primitivo.
What is Primitivo Quiles?
Senor Primitivo Quiles established one of the oldest wineries in Valencia, Spain.
Primitivo Quiles established a family-run winery that operated well for over a century and produced wines that were highly sought after and treasured.
Some of these highly treasured wines derived from the solera system that Primitivo Quiles owned. This Solera system dated back to 1892 and was mainly used to produce wines from 100% Monastrell grapes with great complexity and earthy aromas.
Written by Patricia Kemp.