Last week on our tour of Italy we went to the often forgotten region of Calabria to discover the great Gaglioppo grapes of Ciro. That was at Italy’s toe. Today, we cross the Gulf of Taranto – formed thanks to the immense arch of the Italian boot – and arrive at its heel. We are in Apulia – or Puglia, the Italian name that is often used in English.

Primitivo is to Puglia as Gaglioppo is to Calabria. Primitivo has a fascinating story of migration. First, it made a fairly simple voyage across the Adriatic from Croatia, where it is known locally as Tribidrag and is still grown today. More recently – though we are still talking 150 years ago – it made the much more difficult journey across the Atlantic Ocean, and then across the North American continent. There, in California, the grape variety settled down and became Zinfandel.

It is said that pizza in Italy became famous only thanks to its success in America. The same can be argued about Primitivo. For much of the 20th century, it was simply another indigenous variety of Italy that nobody cared about. But when scientists became aware that Primitivo and Zinfandel were genetically identical, interest in Primitivo soared. Today, it is considered one of the great grapes of southern Italy.

Conti Zecca is a leading producer in Salento. Salento is a zone that covers the southern half of Puglia and is almost completely surrounded by sea. This may be the best place on earth to grow Primitivo – at least outside of California!
Zecca’s Primitivo is such a great example of the grape. It shows the warmth and spice that you would expect from Zinfandel, but also freshness – thanks to those seas – and a deep earthiness that can only be attributed to unique local soils. It is also, like almost all the wines of this region, unaccountably inexpensive!

Tomatoes grow well in this part of Italy and this is definitely red sauce country. It’s hard to imagine a better every-day wine to have lying around the house for spaghetti night or even just a take out pizza. Don’t be afraid to stick in the fridge for 20 minutes to bring it down a few degrees, and then sit back and enjoy, Apulian style.

Conti Zecca Salento Primitivo Rifugio 2019 - $19.99