Produttori di Manduria, Primitivo di Manduria Riserva, Puglia, Italy 2017

Primitivo is one of the primary red grapes used to make the full-bodied reds that Puglia, in the heel of Italy, is known for. It's related genetically to California's Zinfandel grape, and fans of that New World style will find the ripe, intense dark fruit on offer here beguiling. It's a bit of a Marmite wine, sweet (fruit sweetness and 8.5g/L residual sugar) and ripe to the point of overripe with fleshy, dark plummy fruit roundness, and it displays some evolution after five years or so in bottle. Think of cherry drops, and cola cubes, and you'll get an idea of this wine's personality. It's soft, sweet and spicy, exotically fragranced, and would be a perfect match for barbecued ribs.