Cantina Zolla, Primitivo di Manduria

This Primitivo, made by the same wonderful winery as the I Muri wines, is simply stunning. It is from the high quality sub-zone of Manduria and is all of the things you like about its little brother, and then some.

With red cherries, blackcurrant, blackberry, leather and spices, this is a generous, juicy and dense red that is surprisingly soft and approachable, yet with enough structure to reward excellent accompanying food.

The vineyards for this wine are in Manduria and are owned by farmers who each have a share in the winery - it is up to the winemaker Filippo Baccalaro to then turn these grapes into magic. However, he's not that special because the grapes that he has are so fundamentally excellent and his attitude is for minimal winemaking intervention and to allow the grapes to express themselves. This really is the best place for Primitivo as the results show.

It's easier too for their adherence to quality over quantity here, as the grapes are from such prestigious sites and all from the same DOC of Manduria. You really notice the upturn in quality and even at a few euro more, it really feels worth every penny.