Primitivo (418)

The Primitivo red wine is the first grape variety to be harvested, hence the name Primitivo. Primo - First.

Primitivo is different, it embodies Italian life with a dry temperament.

At VINELLO, you will find Primitivo from all regions: Primitivo di Manduria, Primitivo Puglia, Salento, Brindisi, and more. We have dedicated a special category to the popular Doppio Passo Primitivo.

In addition to Primitivo red wine, we also offer Primitivo rosé wine and organic Primitivo as well as packages.

The best and most popular Primitivo - our VINELLO Top 12

1. Doppio Passo Rosato Puglia IGT - CVCB
2. MEA CULPA Vino Rosso Italia - Cantine Minini
3. Doppio Rosso Primitivo Merlot - Grande Vitae
4. TANK No 32 Primitivo Appassimento - Cantine Minini
5. Primitivo di Manduria DOC - Conte di Campiano
6. 12 e Mezzo Primitivo del Salento IGP - Varvaglione
7. Papale Linea Oro Primitivo di Manduria DOP - Varvaglione
8. Mandus Primitivo di Manduria DOC - Pietra Pura
9. Papale Primitivo di Manduria DOP - Varvaglione
10. Zolla Primitivo di Manduria DOP - Vigneti del Salento
11. Primitivo di Manduria Riserva DOC - Conte di Campiano
12. Sessantanni Primitivo di Manduria DOC - Cantine San Marzano

What is a Primitivo?

Primitivo is a red grape variety predominantly grown in Italy and originally from Croatia.

Fruits of the South - full Primitivo wine flavor

The deep red of Primitivo is filled with a wealth of bold forest fruits, plums, and cherries. In the velvety-soft body, the nose discovers notes of tobacco, cloves, chocolate, cinnamon, leather, and cedar wood. Depending on the region, Primitivo wines are produced differently. In Salento, mainly off-dry wines are produced, while in Manduria, dry red wines are made.

However, Primitivo is most commonly found as a dry red wine with relatively high sugar content. The full-bodied Vino Primitivo has an alcohol content of 13–15 %. Together with the soft body, this makes for a true connoisseur's delight.

Primitivo di Manduria DOC

Among the Primitivo wines from Italy, the red wines from Apulia hold a special position.

More specifically, we are referring to the Primitivo wines produced around the city of Manduria. Favored by the mineral and stony clay soil, the Primitivo di Manduria vines grow exceptionally robust and splendid. This is also ensured by the sunny and warm climate,

resulting in early-ripening grapes with high sugar content that yield rich and fruity red wines.

These wines are well-received, then as now! So that the winemakers from northern Salento produce the Primitivo di Manduria under the DOC status.

For the wine to bear the title Primitivo di Manduria, certain rules must be followed. These were defined by the Consorzio di Tutela del Primitivo di Manduria around 1974.

These include, among others, permitted grape varieties, duration of aging, and maximum yields.

Rules for producing a Primitivo di Manduria red wine

The catalog contains 8 articles. After their fulfillment, the red wine may adorn itself with the DOC status of Primitivo di Manduria.

• Art. 1 states that the protected designation of origin Primitivo di Manduria only applies to wines that meet the following conditions
• Art. 2 deals with the allowed grape varieties. At least 85 % of the grapes must be Primitivo grapes. For the remaining 15 %, only non-aromatic black grape varieties are eligible. These are permitted in the provinces of Taranto and Brindisi and can be added individually or together.
• Art. 3 specifies the areas suitable for the production of Primitivo di Manduria. The area mainly extends in the provinces of Brindisi and Taranto, at the heel of Italy.
• Art. 4 addresses the cultivation, harvesting, and maximum yield (9 t/ha) of the permitted grape varieties. It also stipulates that the grapes for Primitivo di Manduria must have a minimum alcohol content of 13.00 % vol. For a Riserva, this must be 13.50 % vol.
• Art. 5 relates to cellar work, aging, and marketing. The addition of must and wine is prohibited. The earliest sale of a Primitivo di Manduria DOC may take place from March 31 of the year following the harvest. For a Riserva, it is not allowed until 2 years after the harvest. This ensures the necessary aging of 24 months, including 9 months in wooden barrels.
• Art. 6 summarizes the characteristics of Primitivo di Manduria red wine.

• Art. 7 states that every wine that meets the above articles must declare the year of production on the bottle.
• Art. 8 clarifies the container of the wine. Only glass bottles with a volume of up to 15 liters are permitted for consumption. These must only be sealed with a cork. Only bottles of 0.25 liters may have a screw cap.

Primitivo - known from here to the New World

Unfazed by the sunny and southern climate, the Primitivo blooms robustly and majestically on the hills of Apulia. The barren and dry soil around the Italian town of Manduria is particularly suited to the grape variety. The growing cultivation of this grape variety in recent decades is a result of the great success of Zinfandel in America. Especially during Prohibition, the red wine from Primitivo was a popular smuggling good.

For a long time, Primitivo wine struggled in southern Italy as a table grape or blending wine in cuvées. The success of the grape variety in the USA then sparked great interest in its Italian counterpart. Today, both in Italy and in the USA, valuable red wines made from the Primitivo grape are produced. However, the grape variety originally does not come from either of the two countries. Primitivo, or Crljenak Kaštelanski, is native to the Croatian/Hungarian border region of Crljenak. Although another branching of the origin is likely, it remains unproven.

The true origin of the Primitivo grape variety

Primitivo, Zinfandel, Crljenak Kaštelanski, Telanski - in all cases, they refer to Tribidrag. This old variety from Croatia has always caused quite a stir.

Whether as Zinfandel in California, as Primitivo in Puglia, or in the hands of many botanists, scientists, and politicians.

Dive into the tumultuous history of a grape variety that everyone wants a piece of. It begins in Italy, in Puglia, in a small garden of a hobby botanist.

A walk through the history of Primitivo

It was in 1799 when Francesco Filippo Indellicati, a priest of the Gioia del Colle community, strolled through a local vineyard. As a recreational botanist and agricultural scientist, Francesco noticed the early-ripening vines that stood out distinctly. He recorded his discovery in the city archive under the name Primativo, meaning "first to ripen." The grape variety spread rapidly among the local winemakers in Apulia until around 1860 when the name Primitivo became established. Since then, Primitivo has developed into one of the most important red grape varieties in Italy.

Primitivo in the USA

Having traveled halfway around the globe, one discovers Zinfandel in California. This grape variety is strikingly similar to Primitivo. American winemakers were convinced that this grape variety was a native one from the USA, despite the fact that the grape vitis vinifera is not native to the New World.

Others speculated that it was an immigrant from Hungary who brought over 300 grape varieties to America, allegedly including Primitivo from Italy. Evidence was only provided by historian Charles Sullivan. The variety stemmed from the Schönbrunn wine collection.

Primitivo and Zinfandel - indistinguishable?

Zinfandel in California and Primitivo from Apulia both delighted people with wine. In between, a botanically curious gentleman once again strolled through the wineries of Puglia in 1967. He stirred the history of both grape varieties. His name was Austin Goheen, a plant pathologist commissioned by the United States Department of Agriculture Research Service.

Upon first glance, the local Primitivo vines seemed very familiar to him. He promptly sent a cutting of Primitivo to the University of California. After some time and research, Goheen recognized a strong similarity in morphology. Furthermore, aspiring doctoral student Wade Wolf studied the molecular profile of both vines. He discovered that the profiles were identical.

The battle for the grape variety

Research ultimately concluded that Primitivo and Zinfandel are identical. Consequently, Italian winemakers began marketing their wine in the USA as Zinfandel as well. This did not sit well with American winemakers. In 1985, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms decided that Zinfandel could not serve as a synonym for Primitivo due to insufficient evidence.

That changed in 1994 when DNA analyses cleared all doubts - Primitivo and Zinfandel were henceforth regarded as identical.

The search for the true origin

For a long time, a Croatian origin of Primitivo was suspected. Zaragese, derived from Zagreb, had long been known as a synonym for the grape variety.

The variety Plavac Mali grown in Dalmatia was considered a strong contender. However, this was dismissed after analysis of the isozymes. Not before Croatian winemakers had seized the opportunity to ride the success wave of the grape variety, marketing Croatian wine under the name Zinfandel. This marked the beginning of the second chapter in the battle for Zinfandel.

Numerous samples of old Plavac Mali vines were examined, none provided an identical DNA profile. But then the breakthrough occurred. A vine of the variety Crljenak Kaštelanski from Kaštel Novi in northern Split revealed the complete DNA profile of Zinfandel. The connection was further confirmed by another vine called Tribidrag.

Tribidrag

The earliest mention of the grape variety we now mostly know as Primitivo occurred under the name Tribidrag. This autochthonous variety from Croatia has been known by this name since the early 15th century. Remarkable is the origin of this designation, as the Croatian word tribidraga is derived from Greek. It can be translated as "early ripening." Thus, the bridge between the origin in Dalmatia and the priest from Gioia del Colle is established.

Today, Tribidrag is found almost everywhere in the world. The main cultivation areas remain California and Apulia. And even if Primitivo often seems exotic, the grape variety finds a place time and again.

Vines are found in France, Israel, Croatia, Australia, and even in Canada and Mexico. What a surprise? Tribidrag, Primitivo, Zinfandel - or whatever you choose to call it - brings full fruit and enjoyment to the glasses.

Buy Primitivo wines online at VINELLO

Order a strong piece of Italy. Our large selection of Primitivo wine will delight you. Also try a Zinfandel from sunny California, USA. Because the sun enhances flavor, and flavor brings joy.

All this and much more is hidden in the ruby-red play of colors of Primitivo. Priced affordably and easy to order.

Quickly browsed online and rapidly delivered to your home. Shipping to Germany or around the world. Enjoy the comfort of a holiday in Apulia - at VINELLO, your supplier of enjoyment in red wine form. Or rosé wine.