Primitivo Don Ciccio Salento 2018- UPAL

UPAL Cooperative Cisternino was established in 1956 when 22 wine producers, gathered on a warm August day, decided to give dignity to their work and the right valor to their products.
Since then we are now more than a thousand members with the same goal of creating a dynamic wine cooperative.

Itria Valley

Primitivo

The name derives from the italian Primaticcio, meaning first to ripen. In fact it is one of the first grapes to be picked in Italy, usually in August. Primitivo is a variety of red grape grown across Puglia, which has found its ideal habitat in two areas above all others: the red soils of the Taranto Province where it is used to make Primitivo di Manduria and among the hills of Gioia del Colle in the Bari Province, and in the Murgia uplands.
The Primitivo vine is averagely vigorous and matures early, giving low-medium yields. It suffers drought, spring frosts, flower abortion and high temperatures. Its most problematic characteristic is its tendency to over-ripen very rapidly: sometimes a delay of just a few days in harvesting will lead to shrivelled grapes with a rapid loss of acidity and fresh flavours.
The typical grape cluster is small and elongated, loose with round berries. The skin is delicate and quite thin, and for this reason it is sensitive to humidity and moulds.
It easily reaches high alcohol levels and historically used to boost up more famous wines in France and northen Italy. Also known as Zinfandel in the USA, in 1994 the 2 varieties have been proven to be genetically identical.