Terre Di Montelusa Primitivo

Terre di Montelusa is made by Calatrasi, a company on the bigger end of those we deal with (they have just over 200 acres across Puglia and Sicily). Their aim is to make delicious, terroir-influenced wines for everyday drinking. They have certainly achieved that here!

Their Primitivo is velvety smooth, juicy and full of Southern Puglian character. It has a light-ish body and ripe fruit flavours with just a touch of spice.

A note on the Primativo/Zinfandel relationship  – Primitivo is principally found in Puglia (the ‘heel’ of Italy) as well as in Sicily. It was a somewhat obscure grape until it was recognised as being identical to California’s Zinfandel variety. DNA profiling showed that both grapes originated from an ancient Croatian vine, and therefore share a common origin.

The name ‘Primitivo’ however, has nothing to do with being ancient or primitive- it refers to the variety’s tenancy to ripen early.