Primitivo di Manduria: the best-known red wine of Puglia
Primitivo di Manduria is an appellation in Salento, the southern tip of Puglia, centred on the town of Manduria and its neighbouring communes in the provinces of Taranto and Brindisi. The area became a DOC in 1974, and the wine must contain at least 85 per cent Primitivo. The grape takes its name from its early ripening, often from the end of August, and in the heat beside the Ionian Sea it reaches full ripeness with plenty of sweet fruit. That is why Primitivo di Manduria is known as one of the most generous, full-bodied reds of Apulia.
It pays to tell the appellation and the grape apart. A bottle labelled simply Primitivo, Primitivo di Puglia or Primitivo Salento comes from a much larger area. Only wine from the defined zone around Manduria may carry the name Primitivo di Manduria.
Terroir, style and Riserva
The soil is iron-rich, red-brown terra rossa over limestone, turning sandier towards the coast. Many of the best vineyards are old bush vines, the low alberello plants that give small yields and concentrated grapes. Sea breezes cool the nights a little, but the climate is hot and dry, and you can taste it. The wines are dark, soft and full, with notes of ripe cherry, plum, prune, dried fig, chocolate and spice. The rules require at least 13.5 per cent alcohol, and many wines sit well above that.
A Riserva must age for at least 24 months, of which at least nine in wooden barrels, and reach at least 14 per cent alcohol. It has more structure and can be cellared for several years, while a young Primitivo di Manduria is at its best with its juicy fruit in the first few years.
Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale
The sweet version has had its own DOCG since 2011, the first in Puglia. The grapes are left to shrivel on the vine, and the wine must have at least 50 grams of residual sugar per litre and at least 16 per cent alcohol. The result is a dense, red dessert wine with flavours of cherry jam, raisins and cocoa.
Primitivo di Manduria producers
The San Marzano cooperative was founded in 1962 by 19 growers in San Marzano di San Giuseppe and is now one of the best-known names in the area; its Anniversario 62 is the house Riserva. Produttori di Manduria, a cooperative with roots in the 1930s, makes the Riserva Elegia. Varvaglione is behind Papale Linea Oro and Collezione Privata.
You will also find Mottura (Stilio and Villa Mottura), D'Addario with Vignalesta and Riserva Giaramano, Masseria Altemura with Altemura and Sasseo, Masseria Surani with Riserva Dionysos, Tenute Rubino with Palombara, Torrevento with Ghenos, and Poggio Maru.
Food pairing with Primitivo di Manduria
The round fruit and soft tannins make the wine easy to match. It works with grilled beef and lamb, slow-cooked pork, pasta with ragù, lasagne, salami pizza and aged cheeses such as pecorino and Parmesan. A Riserva can take game and braised beef. Serve it at 16 to 18°C, a little cooler in summer so the alcohol stays in the background.
Primitivo di Manduria FAQ
What is the difference between Primitivo and Primitivo di Manduria?
Primitivo is the grape, grown all over Puglia. Primitivo di Manduria is a DOC whose grapes must come from the area around Manduria and meet stricter rules on yield and alcohol.
Is Primitivo the same as Zinfandel?
Yes. DNA analysis has shown that Primitivo and California's Zinfandel are the same grape, which originally comes from Croatia, where it is called Crljenak Kaštelanski or Tribidrag.
What does Riserva mean on Primitivo di Manduria?
That the wine has aged for at least two years, at least nine months of them in barrel, before release.
Is Primitivo di Manduria sweet?
Regular Primitivo di Manduria is dry, even if the ripe fruit can give an impression of sweetness. Only Dolce Naturale is a truly sweet wine.