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Wine Details
Price:
$17.00 per bottle
Description:
PRIMITIVO is our most prized posession, being to date, the only significant East Coast planting of this Southern Italian variety. Recently identified as a "twin" of Zinfandel, Primitivo in our vineyard, produces the most amazing Italian red food wine. A rare combination of balanced acidity, tannins and fruit in the absence of oak. This is a wine that takes some time to mature in the bottle and will make a fine wine to cellar. Although closely related to Zinfandel, growing in Virginia it takes on the very Italian character of this grape and is not to be mistaken for a West Coast wine. It is very difficult to grow because of the tendency to burst following rain. In spite of this, we have committed 25% of our vineyard to this great variety.
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Varietal Definition
Primitivo:
Recent "DNA" testing has shown Primitivo to possess the exact same genetic make up as the popular California grape, Zinfandel. Both varieties origins are tracked back to Croatia. And while the grapes may be identical in theory, the wines they produce have distinct differences. Primitivo's home province is Apuglia (sometimes called Puglia), located in the "heel" of Italy's boot. Wines made from Primitivo have notes of plum and spice, like Zinfandel, but because of different growing soils and climate, the fruit character is less jammy, the structure more akin to old world wines, with rustic notes of earth and spice, as well as tamed fruit flavors.
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Zinfandel:
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California wine vineyards. DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in the 'heel' of Italy. It is typically made into a robust red wine. Its taste depends on the ripeness of the grapes from which it is made. Red berry fruits like raspberry predominate in wines from cooler areas such as the Napa Valley, whereas blackberry, anise and pepper notes are more common in wines made in warmer areas such as Sonoma County. Many Zinfandels come from head pruned ‘Old Vines’. ‘Old Vine’ is generally understood to mean a vine that is more than 50 years old and that produces less than three tons per acre. ‘Head Pruning’ is an old European style of pruning that trains the vine into the shape of a goblet. It requires no wires or other complex trellis systems. Head pruning spreads the fruit uniformly along the vine and allows light penetration.In the USA a semi-sweet Rosé (blush-style) wine called ‘White Zinfandel’ has achieved widespread popularity. In fact, this popularity has so outstripped all other forms that many fans think there is actually a grape called “White Zinfandel” (there isn’t)!
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