Primitivo

Primitivo is a bold, dry red from Puglia in southern Italy, packed with ripe blackberry, black cherry and plum alongside spice, pepper and often a touch of chocolate. Rich, fruity and warming, it’s brilliant with pizza, lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, BBQ ribs, burgers, sausages and slow-cooked meat.

Taste:

Big fruit and absolutely no interest in playing it cool.

Primitivo is typically dry and medium to full-bodied, with moderate tannins and plenty of ripe, concentrated fruit. Expect blackberry, black cherry, plum and raspberry, sometimes moving into jammy or dried-fruit flavours in particularly ripe styles.

You’ll often find black pepper, liquorice and warming spice too, while oak ageing can add vanilla, chocolate, coffee or smoky notes.

Primitivo can reach fairly high alcohol levels, adding to its rich, warming character. Despite all that power, the tannins are often relatively smooth, making it a pretty easy red to fall for.

Food Pairings:

Primitivo and rich Italian food are extremely good company.

Its ripe fruit works brilliantly with tomato-based pasta dishes, so try it with lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, beef ragù, meatballs in tomato sauce, sausage pasta or baked pasta.

Pizza is another easy win, particularly pepperoni, meat feast, sausage, spicy salami or BBQ chicken pizza.

Primitivo is also made for the barbecue. Pair it with BBQ ribs, burgers, pulled pork, smoky sausages, grilled steak or barbecued chicken. Its ripe fruit and spice work particularly well with sweet, smoky and sticky BBQ sauces.

For something more traditional, try roast lamb, lamb chops, slow-cooked beef, pork chops or Italian sausages.

Meat-free options include aubergine parmigiana, smoky bean stew, grilled aubergine, roasted peppers and rich tomato and lentil dishes.

For cheese, try Parmesan, Pecorino, mature Cheddar or aged Gouda.

Similar Wines:

If you enjoy Primitivo, Zinfandel absolutely needs to be next on the list. They're genetically the same grape, with Zinfandel being its famous Californian identity.

Nero d'Avola is another excellent Italian option if rich dark fruit is what you love, while Shiraz brings plenty of body, fruit and spice.

Monastrell is also worth exploring for another sun-loving Mediterranean grape with dark fruit and a powerful personality.

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More About Primitivo:

Primitivo is most closely associated with Puglia, the sun-soaked region forming the heel of Italy's boot. Primitivo di Manduria is one of its particularly well-known expressions.

The grape's name comes from the Italian primo, referring to its tendency to ripen relatively early.

Its family history is where things get interesting. DNA testing confirmed that Primitivo and California's Zinfandel are genetically the same grape, with both tracing their deeper origins back to Croatia and varieties known there as Tribidrag and Crljenak Kaštelanski.

So Italy and California spent years giving the same grape completely different personalities before science checked the family tree.

Awkward.