Primitivo

Primitivo is the powerhouse red grape of Puglia, the sun-baked heel of Italy, and — as DNA has confirmed — one and the same variety as California's Zinfandel and Croatia's Tribidrag. It ripens early and unevenly under a fierce southern sun, piling on sugar to yield some of Italy's ripest, boldest, most warming reds: deeply coloured and full bodied, brimming with jammy black and blue fruit, dried figs and warm spice, and carrying a generous 14 to 15 percent alcohol. Rustic, hearty and unapologetically fruit-forward, it is the friendly, sun-drenched face of southern Italian red wine — soft enough to drink young, rich enough to stand up to grilled meat and hard cheese.