Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Manduria, due to geologic and climate factors
(in the late twentieth century, poor winemak-
ing skill in the Gioia del Colle area precluded
the possibility of identifying such nuances by
any but the wine's most fervent admirers). In
Gioia del Colle, the vines are planted in hillside
vineyards between 250 and 500 meters above
sea level, rather than in the fl atland seaside par-
cels of Manduria and Sava. Therefore, Gioia del
Colle has higher altitudes, wider day-night tem-
perature shifts (as much as 20°C in the sum-
mer, meaning—in theory—greater aromatic
expression in the wines), and lower average
yearly temperatures, plus shallow calcareous
soils rich in minerals with only a little red clay
(while there's more red sand and clay over lime-
stone near Manduria). These factors should
contribute to the Primitivo di Goia del Colle
wines being more nervy, with higher acidities
and more graceful tannic structures and less
ultraripe creamy fruit aromas and profi les, but
today such differences in the wines are blurred,
as all Primitivo wines tend to be high in alco-
hol. Primitivo di Goia del Colle had virtually
disappeared from important commercial mar-
ketplaces in the latter half of the twentieth cen-
tury but has made a resounding comeback in
the last fi ve years. A consortium formed in
2000, with only four founding members con-
trolling only 17 percent of the DOC surface
under vine, burgeoned by 2002, with thirty-
three members counting 94 percent of the total
DOC Primitivo di Gioia del Colle area.
When very good, Primitivo is creamy-rich
and heady, usually not shy in alcohol (16 per-
cent is common) and awash with aromas and
fl avors of ripe red cherry, strawberry jam, and
plums macerated in alcohol. In some more tra-
ditionally made wines there are obvious tobacco
and underbrush notes, and the wines can actu-
ally be rather herbal and tarry. In fact, had I
been writing this topic in the late twentieth
century I would have said that Italian primi-
tivos differed from California zinfandels
because of stronger herbal nuances and less of
the ultraripe, almost sweet fruit of some zins;
but today some primitivos seem bent on “out-
zinfandeling” zinfandel. In other words,
though many herbal, more restrained wines are
still being made in Puglia (and are not to every-
one's liking), there's now an ocean of ultraripe,
lusciously syrupy, red fruit-crammed primi-
tivo just waiting to greet your taste buds.
Good U.S. Zinfandel wines are too numer-
ous to mention, so I'll just limit myself to an
arbitrary choice of three: Ravenswood, Seghesio,
and Turley; it's fair to say that the United States
makes the best Primitivo wines in the world
today. In Australia, Cape Mentelle in Margaret
River and Nepenthe in Adelaide Hills were the
fi rst to develop good reputations for their Primi-
tivo wines, but there are many other producers
of note: Arimia, By Jingo Wines, Cargo Road
Wines, Chateau Tanunda (they make a shiraz-
primitivo blend), Groom, Rusden, and more. I
haven't tried most of them, but those I have
tasted seem impressive and to have potential.
Zinfandel is the name most used in Australia.
wines to try:
Gianfranco Fino*** (Es; a
uniquely rich, decadent version that manages
to stay balanced), Racemi*** (Zinfandel Sinfa-
rosa and Dunico), Attanasio***, Feudi di San
Marzano** (60 Anni), Zicari** (Patruale and
Apulus), Pirro Varone**. For Primitivo Gioia
del Colle, try: Nicola Chiaromonte*** (Riser-
va), Polvanera*** (the wines called 16 and 17,
especially), Pietraventosa** (Riserva), and
Angiuli Donato**. For Primitivo Dolce Natu-
rale, try: Attanasio**, Masseria Ludovico**
(their dry primitivo is also one of the best
around), Consorzio Produttori Vino** (Madri-
gale), and Gianfranco Fino** (Es Più Sole;
almost impossible to fi nd, given the small,
homeopathic-like quantities made).
Pugnitello
where it's found:
Tu sc a ny.
national regis-
try code number:
371.
color:
red.
A relative newcomer, Pugnitello has only
been around for about ten years on the Italian
wine scene but has met with resounding suc-
cess. The variety's name derives from its small,
