{"id":35574,"date":"2025-05-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mywinestore.it\/blog\/primitivo-di-manduria-more-on-salentos-iconic-red\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:36:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T17:36:40","slug":"primitivo-di-manduria-more-on-salentos-iconic-red","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mywinestore.it\/en\/blog\/primitivo-di-manduria-more-on-salentos-iconic-red\/","title":{"rendered":"Primitivo di Manduria: more on Salento’s iconic red"},"content":{"rendered":"

Primitivo di Manduria<\/strong> is the most famous red wine of Puglia’s Ionian coast. Made solely from Primitivo grapes grown in the provinces of Taranto and Brindisi<\/strong>, it has held DOC status since 1974. The name \u201cprimitivo\u201d comes from the grape’s early ripening (late August), a trait that yields powerful, high-alcohol and intensely fruity wines.<\/p>\n

A history spanning millennia<\/h2>\n

Sipping a glass of Primitivo di Manduria today, we are tasting a story that began more than 2,000 years ago<\/strong>. The grape variety is believed to have reached Puglia with the Greeks and then spread through the countryside around Manduria, Maruggio, Sava and Lizzano. In the Middle Ages the care of the vines passed to the Basilian and Benedictine monasteries, but the modern turning point came in the late 18th century thanks to Don Francesco Filippo Indellicati. A keen botanist, the priest identified and selected a biotype that ripened \u201cbefore all the others\u201d \u2014 the Primaticcio. He isolated the best vines and planted them in a dedicated area, today’s contrada Terzi in Gioia del Colle. This was the first single-variety planting of Primitivo di Manduria.<\/p>\n

The red earth of Primitivo di Manduria<\/h2>\n

The Primitivo di Manduria DOC area stretches across the provinces of Taranto and Brindisi, on flat or gently rolling land that slopes down from the hinterland towards the Ionian Sea. Modest altitudes (20-100 m above sea level) and miles of coastline define a landscape in which vines, olive trees and Mediterranean scrub have lived side by side for centuries.<\/p>\n

The soil is characterised by Mediterranean red earth<\/strong>, rich in iron oxides, shallow and lying on a limestone subsoil. The Mediterranean climate ensures high average temperatures all year round, with long, very hot summers, little rain and good temperature swings between day and night, preserving the acidity and aromatic integrity of the grapes. The nearby Ionian Sea brings sea breezes that help keep the environment dry and well ventilated.<\/p>\n

Alberello-trained vines<\/h2>\n

Primitivo grapes are grown using the Alberello<\/strong> \u2013 \u201clittle tree\u201d \u2013 system, a unique and ancient bush-vine method that originated in southern Italy, particularly in Puglia and Calabria, as an ingenious response to the harshest Mediterranean climate. Pruned low and free-standing, the vines form a small bush able to make the most of every drop of light while shading the bunches during the scorching hours. The compact canopy lets air circulate between the shoots: humidity and fungal diseases are kept in check, so fewer treatments are needed and the work stays in tune with the vineyard’s ecosystem.<\/p>\n

This training system, handed down from generation to generation, demands particularly careful attention: pruning by hand, densely planted vineyards and naturally low yields that concentrate sugars, tannins and acidity. The result is grapes of superior quality, with an intense and well-balanced aromatic profile, ideal for the richness of Primitivo di Manduria.<\/p>\n

Alberello is a true cultural heritage<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Tasting Primitivo di Manduria<\/h2>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

In the glass, Primitivo di Manduria shows a deep ruby red<\/strong> colour, almost impenetrable, which with age turns towards purple-garnet highlights. It immediately releases a generous, complex bouquet. In the mouth it is broad and enveloping<\/strong>, almost velvety, supported by a warming alcohol level balanced by still-lively acidity. Perfectly ripe tannins provide structure without ever weighing it down. The finish is long.<\/p>\n

Overall, Primitivo di Manduria offers a unique balance<\/strong> between power and suppleness, aromatic richness and underlying freshness: a sensory experience that takes the enthusiast by the hand from the primary aromas onwards, on a journey of Mediterranean warmth, sweet fruit and elegant spice, with a long finish that invariably invites a second glass.<\/p>\n

Our picks<\/h2>\n

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\"Primitivo<\/a><\/div>\n
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Primitivo di Manduria Sessantanni<\/h3>\n

Full-bodied character and supreme elegance. Sessantanni <\/a>celebrates the winemaking tradition of Cantine San Marzano, a benchmark in Apulian wine production. The wine comes from a careful selection of bunches, which undergo maceration and fermentation at controlled temperature, followed by 12 months of ageing in French and American oak barrels.<\/p>\n

Primitivo Sessantanni expresses all its elegance to the senses. It has a beautiful ruby red colour, with aromas of plum, cherry jam, tobacco and spice. On the palate it is supple and full-bodied, enriched by notes of vanilla, coffee and cocoa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Es Primitivo di Manduria<\/h3>\n
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Gianfranco Fino’s Es<\/a> is the most famous face of Primitivo di Manduria, a label that embodies the idea of \u201cpleasure without compromise\u201d.<\/p>\n

It comes from rigorously selected alberello-trained grapes, with fermentation in steel for purity of fruit and ageing in small oak barrels that lend elegant spice.
In the glass it is an impenetrable ruby; it has aromas of myrtle, black cherry and plum, with touches of cocoa, vanilla and coffee.<\/p>\n

On the palate, Primitivo di Manduria Es is full and velvety, supported by freshness and very fine tannins, with an extremely long finish in which dark fruit and balsamic notes merge in perfect balance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Primitivo<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Primitivo<\/a><\/div>\n
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Primitivo di Manduria Tal\u00f2<\/h3>\n

San Marzano’s Tal\u00f2<\/a> interprets Primitivo di Manduria in a collective spirit: the name, a common local surname, pays tribute to the growers who tend the vineyard \u201clike a garden\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Primitivo grapes, macerated for ten days at controlled temperature and then aged for six months in French and American oak, produce a ruby red wine with purple highlights, wrapped in aromas of ripe cherry, plum, cocoa and vanilla. In the mouth it is warm and structured, but the suppleness typical of the grape softens the palate and extends the finish on sweet, spicy notes. Vintage after vintage, Primitivo di Manduria Tal\u00f2 proves itself an ambassador for the San Marzano community, collecting awards in Italy and abroad.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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From the red earth of Salento to the glass, Primitivo di Manduria tells a story of sun, sea and farming patience that you can now enjoy in the comfort of your own home. If our picks \u2013 Sessantanni, Es and Tal\u00f2 \u2013 have piqued your curiosity, in our online wine shop you will find detailed technical sheets, available vintages and regular dedicated promotions.<\/p>\n

Choose your Primitivo di Manduria and treat yourself to moments of pure pleasure!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From a centuries-old tradition to three cult bottles: discover Primitivo di Manduria wine in all its expressions!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24297,"featured_media":35548,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2602],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-italian-wines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywinestore.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywinestore.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywinestore.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywinestore.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24297"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywinestore.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35574"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mywinestore.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35652,"href":"https:\/\/mywinestore.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35574\/revisions\/35652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywinestore.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywinestore.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywinestore.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywinestore.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}