On the boot of Italy’s heel lies the rustic region of Apulia, home to the wine known as Primitivo. Primitivo, which is produced in 16 different wine regions within Apulia, is made from the Primitivo grape, a grape surrounded by mystery and legend.
Primitivo is rumored to gets its name from the Italian word primo, meaning first, because the Primitivo vine was the world’s first grape vine. Wine made from the Primitivo grape is also rumored to have been served at the Last Supper. While these are difficult claims to prove, they certainly add to the mystique of the wine.
What is known about Primitivo is that it came to Apulia from ancient Greece. Apulia, as with other parts of Southern Italy, was populated with Greek colonists in ancient times. Among the many aspects of Greek culture that the colonists brought with them was winemaking and the Primitivo grape was their preferred grape to grow in the harsh Pugliese sun.
Around the 17th Century, Benedictine monks began to call this grape Primitivo in reference to its primitive nature. This was not an insult. The monks called the grape primitive because wine made from the grape was the first wine available for consumption. To this day, Primitivo wine is known as a wine best consumed young, within 5 years of its vintage.
Although Primitivo is the fifth most produced wine in all of Italy, it was not highly regarded and was frequently shipped to other areas to be blended with better regarded wines. This all began to change in the 1990s, thanks to the California wine industry’s critical success in making wine from zinfandel grapes.
Zinfandel, which had been produced in California for over 100 years, was a mystery. As no grape vine is native to American soil, the question about how Zinfandel got here burned through the wine community. DNA researchers at the University of California finally solved the mystery when they proved that the zinfandel grape and the primitive grape are identical twins. The vine was transported from Apulia to America some time in the 18th or 19th century.
Suddenly, Primitivo was transformed from a grape that produced mediocre wine to a grape whose potential had not yet been reached. Savvy farmers in Apulia began cultivating their Primitivo grapes more meticulously, harvesting smaller but higher quality crops. The wines that have emerged are some of the most fragrant, rewarding wines you will find.
Although Primitivo grapes can be grown anywhere, only wines made from Primitivo grapes grown in the 16 recognized Primitivo wine regions can be called Primitivo wine. A true, quality glass of Primitivo should be deep red in color, bordering on black. Almost opaque, a glass of Primitivo is very viscous and will have a lighter shade around the rim.
The aroma of Primitivo is bold and you will pick up ripe blackberries and red berries as well as a hint of anise and oak.
On the palate, the first flavor one experiences is typically that of ripe, juicy blackberries. One may also experience hints of tobacco, chocolate, anise and wild cherries. Primitivo wine has a lengthy finish that features powerful tannins and hints of anise or even figs.
Amazingly, a wine this historic and this complex retails very cheaply. A good bottle of Primitivo wine can cost anywhere from $9 to $18, which makes it a fantastic bargain for such a bold, dynamic wine.
