Wines

Primitivo di Manduria Sinfarosa Zinfandel dop

Primitivo di Manduria Sinfarosa Zinfandel is a still red wine that comes from the heart of Puglia, in the province of Taranto, and around which curious stories of even international encounters are told. It all goes back to the year 1967, when an American professor from California went to Bari, where he noticed that the wine he ordered for dinner, a Primitivo, tasted extremely similar to a California wine he was used to, Zinfandel. From that point on, the two grape varieties began to be analysed and it was discovered that the DNA of Primitivo is shared with the Zinfandel grape variety. The evolution Primitivo di Manduria Sinfarosa Zinfandel wine finds its origins in a particular soil called terra nera, a very deep alluvial soil, characterised by the erosion of rocks and deposits of organic material that has degraded over time (specifically ancient forests). After fermentation, the wine, with the designation “Primitivo di Manduria dop,” is transferred to French and American oak barrels for 6 months, and then completes aging in the bottle. Felline Primitivo di Manduria Sinfarosa Zinfandel, to sum up, is a wine with an international yet traditional Apulian flavour. Compact ruby red, focused on sensations of ripe red fruit, plum and black cherry, balsamic and vegetal notes in a spicy and mineral finish. Full, warm palate with good amount of savouriness and well-integrated tannins. Long, fruity persistence.

Technical Specifications
Grape variety	Primitivo di Manduria - Zinfandel DOP
Aging	6 months in French and American oak
Pairing	Stewed/Braised vegetables and meats, duck, feathered game, Florentine steak, aged cheeses

Agricola Felline

The third Generation, between tradition and modernity. Producing real wines, inspired by a vocation for the territory and the tradition of our region. While indulging in small experiments and innovations, we shy away from the seduction of market trends.

Felline is a historic Apulian winery, protagonist of the success of a great wine such as Primitivo di Manduria DOC and a milestone within the project called “Accademia dei Racemi,” which gave impetus to the revival of many native grape varieties in the region.The winery’s name comes from a vast archaeological area of Manduria, a short distance from its renowned beaches, in which there are the remains of a very ancient city, Felline to be exact. Since the late 1990s Felline, in collaboration with other young and ambitious producers, has contributed to the enhancement of the area’s symbolic grape variety, primitivo. A project stimulated by a deep love for the territory and its traditions, which today places Felline among the most important wineries in the area,

Puglia

If Italy is the largest producer of wine in the world, it is largely thanks to Puglia, which produces more than any other Italian region, about 17% of the total!

Viticulture is deeply rooted in local traditions but until 20 or so years a large proportion of Puglia’s grapes were used to add “substance” to wines produced in the rest of Italy and France. Thankfully this is no longer the case and Puglia now boasts 25 different DOC areas and some excellent vintages of its own.

The most widely grown grape variety is Negroamaro (literally ‘black bitter’). Almost exclusively cultivated in Puglia, Negroamaro is used to produce some of the region’s best wines, including Salice Salentino. The epithet of most famous grape, however, goes to Primitivo, whose wines, including the Primitivo di Manduria, are generally high in alcohol content and full in body. Curiously, the Primitivo grape shares its genetic make-up with California’s Zinfandel varietal.

White wines in Puglia count for less than 20% of the overall production but are gradually growing in importance. Local grapes such as Bombino Bianco, Bianco d’Alessano and Verdeca rub shoulders with international varieties including Chardonnay and Sauvignon to produce some excellent results.