Terra D'Uva - Primitivo Manduria DOC
- Country: Italia
- Region: Cellino San Marco, Puglia, Italy
- Varietals: 100% Primitivo di Manduria
- Single Vineyard/Vintage
- Alcohol: 14.0%
- Aging:Minimum 12 Months in french oak barriques refined minimum 6 months in bottle
- 750ml
Winemaker: Agricole Rizzello Cellino San Marco, Puglia
Wine Notes:
Historically recognized as the vine which created American Red Zinfandel.
It appears that the variety, from which this wine is made, got its name because of its tendency to ripen earlier than other types of vines. It is believed through Archaeological evidence points to the domestication of Vitis vinifera somewhere in the Caucasus around 6000 BCE, and to the discovery of winemaking shortly after. From there it spread to the Mediterranean, and then along the coast to Greece, the Balkans and Italy. It is now known that Croatia has many indigenous varieties that are quite closely related to Primitivo di Manduria, which formed the basis of a considerable wine industry in the 1800s. Italians claim Primitivo as the descendant of the grape that made "merum", a wine brought to Puglia by Illyrian colonists before the Greeks arrived in the 7th century BC. Horace and other Roman writers mention "mera tarantina" from Taranto, and Pliny the Elder describes Manduria as viticulosa (full of vineyards). The first official mention of Primitivo is not until Italian governmental publications of the 1870s. The fact that such records come 40 years after Zinfandel is first documented in the USA led some to suggest that Primitivo was introduced from across the Atlantic; this became unlikely after the discovery of its origin across the Adriatic in Dalmatia. However, historical text indicates that early Italian immigrants, who helped organize and establish the wine regions of Northern California, actually utilized the vines of Primitivo di Manduria to create Zinfandel. In fact, this wine shares the same genetic characteristics and DNA as American Red Zinfandel. From the renowned wine producing state of Puglia, this wine hails from one of the regions centers of attention; Taranto.
Winemaker Notes:
This amazing wine is an excellent example of the high quality wines produced in the south, which are influenced by the volcanic rich soil and climate of the Adriatic Sea and Bay of Taranto. The variety yields a wine of fine quality that has a highly special aroma. Because of those characteristics, it is also known by the local dialectical name "Mirr Test", meaning "hard wine". That term refers to the wines big body. At sight a concentrated deep ruby red color turning dark orange with age. The bouquet is persistent and delicious. The nose hints of sweet red fruits and blueberries. The taste is fresh and long on the palate with medium tannins when young, becoming softer and velvety with a fuller body over time; always smooth and pleasant, with a long and wonderfully persistent finish.
This wine can be enjoyed young, but becomes more refined for 5–8 years.
At its best when opened or decanted 30 to 45 minutes or longer prior to serving.
Pairing:
Pairs well with roasted or grilled meats, pasta, fried fish and shellfish, and spicy dishes.