Manduria vs Gioia del Colle: comparison between two souls of Primitivo

When we talk about Apulian Primitivo often it’s done in a derogatory way, referring to a simple and in some ways cheap wine, the one that - to be clear - it was customary to use a few decades ago (and who knows if it is still done ...) to add structure to many slender wines of Northern Italy.

A wine appreciates by novices and untrained palates, which in addition to having good structure and high roundness, can’t to offer anything more.

Without denying that some of its expressions - the cheapest ones and which focus exclusively on volumes - are actually attributable to this definition, the general reality is however very different, and to date the Apulian Primitivo, even without unmarking and denying the characteristics that make it recognizable, it’s able to express a lot of excellent level interpretations.

Making classifications within this "wine ecosystem" is not easy, but it can be said with certainty that there are two distinct souls of Primitivo, which, mainly due to the characteristics of the terroir but also for winery choices, (generally) resulting in quite different wines: Manduria and Gioia del Colle.

 In the first case, the altitudes are extremely low, and indeed in many cases the vineyards directly overlook the sea of ​​the Salento peninsula, with very high average temperatures but with not particularly marked day/night excursions.

On the contrary, in the Gioia del Colle area (located further inside the region) the altitudes are higher - ranging from 200 to 450 meters above sea level. - just as the day/night excursions are greater, without however reaching, as a rule, the heat peaks typical of the Mandurian hinterland.

Wanting to simplify - which is never too correct but often makes easier the concept - Manduria represents the exuberant and cheeky side of the Primitivo, while Gioia del Colle the more elegant and thoughtful one.

In fact, Primitivo of Manduria is usually extremely rich, concentrated right from the color, showing both the nose and the mouth the power that this terroir is able to express.

In essence, very intense wines with a fruity effect, rather similar to Californian Zinfandel wines (a vine strongly related – if not exactly identical – to Primitivo), and which normally are not characterized for great longevity.

The Primitivo of Gioia del Colle, while maintaining some characteristics in common with its “brother”, as alcoholic intensity and warmth, has an extremely peculiar mineral character, and is also characterized by decidedly less ripe and syrupy fruity tones.

The result is a wine usually more elegant, refined and complex, marked by greater freshness and with quite important evolutionary capacities.

For my personal taste I prefer Gioia del Colle’s wines, but in both denominations there are great excellences, as well as low-level wines, in many cases “children” of rather poor enological knowledge.

However, beyond the factions and personal preferences, what matters most is that both denominations know how to express in their wines the character of Apulia’s land, its light and warmth but also its sunsets and twilights.

 

Bonus Track: 3 labels not to be missed

 ES - Primitivo del Salento IGT - Gianfranco Fino: the paradigm of this land, the label that brought this grape to dimensions never reached before. The exuberance of the fruit typical of the best Primitivo di Manduria (even if it came out of the appellation for some years ...) combined with dense tannins like that of a great Sagrantino. In short, a bomb of pure enjoyment! 

 Vigneto Montevella 17 - Primitivo di Gioia del Colle DOC - Polvanera: an exclusive wine, coming from a single high-density vineyard and vinified and aged only in steel. All the minerality typical of this terroir in a glass, an impressive wine but with an unthinkable elegance in relation to its very high alcohol content (17%). 

 

Muro Sant’Angelo Contrada Barbatto - Primitivo di Gioia del Colle DOC - Chiaromonte: another gem from a small and old “alberello” vineyard. A rich and complex wine, exuberant but at the same time multidimensional, a bottle that if you love Primitivo you cannot fail to taste.