2022 Rivera Primitivo, Salento IGT, Italy (Alcohol 14%, Residual Sugar 6.7 g/l) LCBO Vintages $19.95 (750ml glass bottle)
As the leaves slowly begin to turn (I saw some today!), my thoughts turn to wines that are a little more autumnal in nature. This fleshy Primitivo from the southern part of Italy’s Puglia region does work as wine of the turning season, but to be honest, it’s pretty fantastic for a last-days-of-summer barbecue.
These grapes are usually harvested in the last week of August, before being fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged for 9 months in concrete tanks before being bottled. This modern process allows the winemaker to preserve a lot of the freshness and vitality that is often missing from some of the more traditional Primitivo wines of the region (fruit has a tendency to get pretty cooked in the vineyards here).
There’s undeniably a cooked black fruit jamminess at work here, as is typical for the region, but it’s supplemented by a very appealing immediacy and a bright dark berry fruit character. I can easily understand why so many producers are drawn to the use of concrete these days, as the effect upon the wines can be quite remarkable, whether it be Ontario Gamay or, like here, Salento Zinfandel Primitivo. I joke, of course, re: Zinfandel, but I did notice that the LCBO page rather curiously lists the grape variety as Zin and not Primitivo. At the time of writing, their website also lists this as having 28 g/l of residual sugar, which would be pretty much undrinkable for anyone but -REDACTED- Pinot Noir drinkers.
Many Puglian Primitivo wines fit an unpleasantly cloyingly clunky mould, but this contemporary take is a real treat in the mouth. It’s medium-full bodied, but with a nice little spring in it’s step. The tannins are fully ripe, and gloriously supple. The dark berry fruit from the nose is echoed here in the fleshy dark fruit core. The dry but intensely fruity finish is moderate but satisfying.
I’d thoroughly enjoy this with burgers, sausages, and ribs from the barbecue, but it would also work really well with tomato-based pasta sauces… wild boar ragù anyone?
(Three and a half out of a possible five apples)
Cantine Rivera wines are represented in Ontario by Icon Vins Fins.
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