Kissed by the sun and bathed by the sea, the Apulia is the perfect region for the cultivation of vines. Viticulture has been practiced in Apulia since ancient times and it is dated back to the period of the greatest Phoenician and Greek expansion. Today Apulia region is one of the largest and most important wine producers of Italy. It produces many types of wine, mainly red and rose wines made of grapes Primitivo e Negroamaro, the two most important grapes of the region. So let's discover and find out together the differences and similarities of the two main grapes from which are produced the best wines of Apulia.
PRIMITIVE
Primitivo is one of the most famous red berried grapes of southern Italy, as well as being one of the most important grapes for viticulture and enology of Apulia. Its curious name is probably due to the characteristic vegetative phases of the plant, all precocious, from ripening to budding, from flowering to veraison. The grape is harvested at the end of August. Nowadays Primitivo is mainly cultivated in the area of Manduria, in the province of Taranto, from which is produced the DOC Primitivo of Manduria and the DOCG Primitivo di Manduria natural sweet, and in Barese, in the territory of Gioia del Colle.
Primitivo bears a peculiar resemblance to the California grape Zinfandel. In fact, it is a globetrotting vine. We find it on the other side of the Atlantic, in the United States of America. In California it represents one of the most ancient imported varieties, cultivated since 1860 under the name of Zinfandela denomination unknown in Europe. It is one of the most important grapes of the United States of America, mainly used for fine red and rose wines. For many years Primitivo has been used as a "blending" wine to reinforce wines of northern Italy, thanks to its natural high alcohol by volume, intense color and structure. Today, however, Primitivo is more and more often vinified as a pure wine. In the last 20 years has been developed among Apulian producers a higher awareness about Primitivo's potentialities and thanks to the important work of winemakers it has been possible to valorize this intense and powerful red wine, of great elegance and finesse.
Today's primitivo is a robust, well-structured wine with good identity aromas, velvety palates and good longevity. It is a wine that both men and women enjoy because of its smooth, full, warm, sweet and elegant taste.
NEGROAMARO
Also Negroamaro is one of the most important grapes in the south of Italy, thanks to its great organoleptic qualities in purity and quality/price ratio. This wine from Apulia is very appreciated not only in Italy but also abroad since more than 10 years. The name of the vine derives from the local Salento dialect and, precisely, from "Niuru Maru" which means "bitter black", it is a reference to the intense color of Negroamaro and slightly bitter taste. The grape is produced in Salento, in the Apulian areas of Taranto, Brindisi and Lecce.
Negroamaro is used to produce many DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) and IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) wines. Perhaps the most renowned one is Salice Salentino DOC, it is the most representative wine of southern Apulia and it is produced with Negroamaro and a small percentage of Malvasia Nera. As for Negroamaro, harvesting starts around the second decade of September.
Just like Primitivo, in the past Negroamaro was used only for blending some northern wines because of the high presence of sugar and intense color and it was never used pure. In the last 10 years, however, this trend has stopped. Producers of the Salento peninsula, known as heel of Italy, started producing Negroamaro in pureness, creating a product having an unmistakable aroma, with velvety tannins, endowed with depth and nuances and which is more and more appreciated by both domestic and foreign markets.
In order to know better the best Apulian wines produced with Primitivo and Negroamaro grapes, I suggest you to taste the following wines:
A well structured red wine with a robust taste, capable of telling the intensity of a grape which from a simple blending grape has become one of the most appreciated in the international wine scene. It has a very elegant red color. Intense bouquet, with fruity aromas of ripe plums, cherry jam and hints of cocoa, slightly spicy with a finish which gives hints of vanilla. Soft taste and rich in ripe tannins. View full tab
Deep ruby red color with garnet reflections Enveloping aromas of plum, cherry and ripe plum, accompanied by hints of thyme, tobacco and licorice Full and balanced taste, with generous warmth, mitigated by velvety tannins and juicy freshness. Long and consistent finish. View full tab
The most representative wine of the winery, capable like no other of combining elegance and concentration in a continuous chase between acidity and warmth. Ample and generous, "l'Es" is the result of a careful selection of grapes harvested after a light drying on the vine, vinified in steel tanks and aged for nine months in barriques of first and second passage. View full tab
Wine icon of a philosophy of thought and work. Sessantanni Primitivo di Manduria DOP is the label which changed the perception of Apulian wines in the world. From grapes coming from old vineyards with at least sixty years of age and bush-trained, a traditional Apulian system. Genius loci, expression and pride of our history. View full tab
Roccamora Negramaro Nardò DOC is a red wine produced with 100% Negroamaro grapes by Schola Sarmenti winery. The average age of the vineyards from which these grapes come from is 20 years old and they are cultivated with Guyot system. Grapes are harvested by hand and gently placed in small aerated boxes in order to preserve their integrity. See full tab
Cantele's Teresa Manara is a great barrique wine produced with pure Negroamaro grapes. It has an intense ruby red color variegated with light black cherry hues. The nose expresses a bouquet with aromas of fruit and red flowers. To the palate the wine is warm and smooth. View full tab
Three vineyards, a letter on the wood to identify them. "F" as Feudi di San Marzano, a name which integrates our history. It is a very ancient grape, Negroamaro. In this expression it becomes particularly velvety and elegant, fleshy and prone to aging. View full tab
