This month the Italian Food, Wine and Travel group’s continues its virtual tour of Italy with a visit to Puglia. Lynn of Savor the Harvest is our host this month (read her invitation post here)
About Puglia
Puglia is located on the eastern shores of southern Italy, in what is often referred to as the heel” of the “boot” that is Italy. Most historians agree that its name is derived a-Pluvia, which means land without rain. Italians are attracted to the region for its many miles of coastland. Olives (half of Italy’s total olive-oil production is from Puglia) and grapes are the region’s two main crops.
Puglia at a glance:
- Area under vine: 83,000 hectares, distributed mainly in the plains (70%) and hills (29.5%).
- Climate: Mediterranean climate, with mild winters, minimal rain, and hot summers. The cooling breezes from the Mediterranean Sea preserves much-needed acidity in the grapes.
- Grape Varieties: The principal grape varieties Primitivo, Negroamaro , Uva di Troia, and Bombino Nero for reds and Falanghina, Fiano and Muscat for whites, but there are 50 permitted grapes in the region
- There region holds six IGT/IGP titles, just over 30 DOCs and one DOCG
According to Lynn a little known fact is that Apulian rosato (rosé) is the benchmark for the rosé category in Italy. While it was commercially produced in bulk in the end of the 19th century, a handful of producers more recently transformed the category into a specialty of Salento.
My introduction to Puglia happened in 2021 in conjunction with a Puglia Rosé Masterclass sponsored by the Puglia In Rosé Association. If you’d like to learn more about Puglia Rosé, I invite you to read my article entitled A Taste of Puglia Rosé.
In My Glass
The 2020 Produttori Di Manduria Electric Bee Unconventional Primitivo is produced by from Produttori di Manduria, the oldest co-op in Puglia. Made up solely of tiny growers, 130 small estates who are held to the highest farming and operating standards in Italy — not only are they certified for organic farming practices, but the 3E certification also verifies labor and carbon footprint standards explains importer Rock Juice.
It is from the Primitivo di Manduria DOC (earned in 1974) which is among the oldest in Italy’s heel. The DOC regulations mandate a minium final alcohol level of 13.5 percent.
Factoid: Primitivo di Manduria DOC has the highest minimum alcohol level requirement of any appellation for dry unfortified wine in the world according to WineSearcher.com.
Tasting Note: The wine pours a medium dark ruby color with black fruit, dark chocolate, pepper and spice aromas. On the palate, it’s between light and medium-bodied with juicy mouthwatering acidity and gauzy tannins with easy going ripe blackberry, plum, black cherry and spice flavors. Raised in stainless steel. 13.5% abv|SRP – $20
“We really appreciate the group’s intention and commitment, and also how they’ve managed to make a well balanced, juicy Primitivo that doesn’t knock you out. Thanks to the growers’ early picks and conscious efforts to maintain acidity, this wine is bright and refreshing, retaining acidity and also all of the ripe, juicy flavors for which Primitivo is known…” according Rock Juice.
At $20 I can see myself putting this wine on repeat and enjoying it as a carefree chillable red come summer. Wonderful quality for the price here!
On my Plate
We paired this wine with twist (I smoked the sausage) on a classic Italian Dish – Sausage and Pepper from Lidia Bastianich’s “Mastering The Art Of Italian Cuisine.
The wine’s juicy acidity and ripe fruit flavors were an excellent partner for the dish. And as a bonus, the next day, we paired the wine with Mexican fare and it was an equally terrific pairing!
Looking for more Puglian wine and food inspiration? Here’s what my fellow Italian Food, Wine and Travel bloggers discovered:
Camilla at Culinary Cam sharing “Killer Pairing: Spaghetti all’Assassina + A Negroamaro from Brindisi”
Susannah from Avvinare tells us about “Primitivo from Gioia del Colle, A Revelation”
Jennifer at Vino Travels Italy discusses “A Rare Puglian Grape – Susumaniello”
Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “A Family Tradition: Domus Hortae’s organic wines from the heel of Italy”
Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm sharing “Octopus with Polenta and a Rosato from Puglia inspired by The Food Club”
Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles reveals “Salice Salentino from Puglia with Ciceri e tria”
Lynn at Savor the Harvest discusses “Negroamaro – Three Styles from Puglia + Food Pairings”
I was in Puglia years ago and it’s where I fell in love with Primitivo…this one sounds really interesting so once again, you have us on the hunt!
I see you found a repeat wine as well for the times you want something slightly lighter in body, and food friendly too, a bonus. How about that Manduria DOC factoid, had no idea!
I am definitely going to be on the lookout for this wine, Martin. “Wines on repeat.” That is a rarity with me, but I will definitely try this one out. Thanks for sharing.
What a funky label, especially that it says “unconventional primitivo”. It’s nice to see a co-op featured and that this wine will be a repeat for you.
There are so many DOCs in Puglia! So much great wine to explore!
How amazing that this comes from a coop of 130 small producers and that they all have their organic and 3E certifications. Now I want to go look the 3E certification up! I don’t know anything about that one!