A MANO Primitivo di Puglia 2008 Mark Shannon and Elvezia Sbalchiero, the duo behind A Mano, have worked in the wine business for most of their lives. Elvezia is a northern Italian wine-marketing expert and Mark is a Californian winemaker. They fell in love with Puglia and, when they decided to start their own label, made it their home. By producing wines of quality, Mark and Elvezia have succeeded in making Primitivo one of Italy.s most talked about grape varieties. They pay high prices for the best grapes from 70-100 year old vines and focus solely on quality and a modern style. After over a decade of vintages, they are now getting access to some of Salento.s best grapes. The grapes for this wine come from vineyards in the heart of the Primitivo growing region, located in the low hills east of Taranto in Puglia. The region is an old sea bed, full of fossils of clams, oysters and urchins. The altitude is approximately 30-60 meters above sea level and annual rainfall is 35 centimeters. The climate is classically Mediterranean as Puglia is a peninsula between the Adriatic and the Ionian seas. The Primitivo vines are quite old; most are the original plantings after phylloxera and range from 70 to 100 years old. As with most vineyards planted at that time they are small bush vines called "alberello" which are non-irrigated and low yielding. The average Primitivo vineyard is quite small, less than half a hectare (1 acre) and the best sites have a crumbly, dark reddish brown soil that resembles instant coffee. Native yeasts were used for the fermentation which took place at very low temperatures (18ºC), in order to retain the raspberry aromas of classic Primitivo. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation and then aged in 80% French and 20% American oak barrels for a period of 2 months. Deeply coloured and exuberant on the nose, with perfumes of ripe, red fruit, especially raspberries and a spicy, smoky edge from the oak ageing. On the palate it is youthful and full-bodied, with great balance between ripe, rounded fruit characters including blackberry and blueberry, sweet, toasty oak and ripe, full tannins. Vintage 2008 Grape varieties 100% Primitivo Region Gioia del Colle Winemaker Mark Shannon Closure Stelvin Alcohol (ABV) 13.5% Acidity 5.5g/l Residual Sugar 6.5g/l Bottle Sizes 75cl, 300cl Find this wine at www.winestore.co.uk Price: £50.59 (Including VAT at 20%)