Do you want to explore Salento in an different way? We suggest you an alternative way to visit our land, following the Via del Primitivo, a wine of local production which, together with Negroamaro, is one of the main products of Salento. Through a path that combines taste with history, we discover the origins and properties of this wonderful grape variety.
From Manduria to Lizzano, passing through S. Giorgio Jonico, Pulsano, Leporano, San Marzano di San Giuseppe, Sava and Avetrana, here they are the villages where we can find Primitivo wine. With a red color and an intense flavor, Primitivo goes well with cheeses, legume soups, grilled lamb.
FEATURES
Always used as a cutting wine, today Primitivo di Manduria represents one of the main product of Salento’s enology. The notes of sweet and ripe fruit (blackberries, cherries, plums) and spices define the taste of Primitivo, a wine with low acidity and high alcohol content.
Dry as a meal or natural dessert, the wine goes perfectly with grilled meats or aged cheeses. Primitivo is also the perfect companion for traditional Apulian sweets with ricotta, almond and dried fig fillings. A glass of Primitivo is fine even if tasted alone: you’ll be able to appreciate its particular notes. There are two different types: Primitivo di Manduria DOC and Primitivo di Manduria natural sweet DOCG.
HISTORY
It is not clear when the vine came in Salento. Maybe it was the ancient Greeks who brought it here or the Romans from Dalmatia. In fact, the wine is genetically very similar to the Crljenak Kastelsnski cultivated from Istria to the Sabbioncello peninsula. Another descendant from Primitivo is Zinfandel, a California cult species. In fact, it seems that, in the early nineteenth century, it was exported overseas by some Apulian migrant.
For the production of wine, the harvests take place at night, the only time when you can have respite from the heat and the sun. In 2011, in the Dolce Naturale version, the Primitivo becomes DOCG, protected and enhanced by the presence of the Primitivo Protection Consortium.
ITINERARIES
The Primitivo paths unfold in unparalleled naturalistic scenarios. We suggest you to bring comfortable shoes and a camera to capture the enchanting landscapes, such as the Natural Reserves of the Eastern Tarantino Coast: from the salt pans animated by numerous species of birds, including pink flamingos, to the marshes embellished with multiple varieties of orchids, holm oak woods and the presence of the Chidro river, custodian of Roman necropolises.
Lastly, we recommend a visit to the Museum of the Primitive Wine Civilization, testimony of the social history and agrarian vocation of this land.
If you don’t know where to sleep in Salento, here you will find some useful advice.
holiday houses -> www.casesalento.com
Holiday luxury villas -> www.villesalento.it
email -> info@villesalento.it
Mobile Phones -> (+39) 392/0202233 – (+39) 328/461763
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