What I'm Drinking: Ognissole Primitivo di Manduria 2008

I'm just realizing as I write this that, thinking about my current short list of go-to wines, I guess I have been on a bit of an Italian and Italian-inspired wine kick.  The situation promises only to worsen (improve?) with our scheduled trip to Italy and France in June, which includes a couple of days in (swoon) Barolo.  Stay tuned for more info on that...

In the meantime, I will continue to keep stocking my wine rack with bottles of delicious wine from all over Italy, including this Pugliese red from Feudi di San Gregorio.  The Ognissole Primitivo di Manduria tends to be a crowd-pleaser, a wine that gets great reviews pretty much wherever I take it, and about which I've received the "Where did you get this wine?" text more than once post-gifting.  Given that, it's not surprising that the neighborhood wine shop can't keep it on the shelf - my friends aren't the only ones who find it irresistible!

Primitivo is a close relative of Zinfandel, and Zinfandel fans will be especially happy with this wine.  The style is surprisingly new world - this wine packs a punch in the areas of fruit flavor and % abv - but maintains enough acidity and secondary flavor to stay interesting.  The color is on the border of ruby and garnet, and is on the lighter side of medium in intensity (more pinot noir than cabernet).  Not surprisingly, some slow-moving legs form on the glass with a swirl or two of the wine.

On the nose, this wine is all about fruit.  Red cherry, raspberry, jammy strawberry, dried cranberry, and red currant are all apparent.  Beyond the fruit, there is also a hit of baking spice (cinnamon and clove), a little bit of mineral earth, and a slightly medicinal character.  Alcohol is definitely apparent on the nose as well.

Though the fruit character might suggest otherwise to some, this wine is definitely dry, with good acid, tannins on the lower side, and a healthy dose of alcohol.  It all adds up to a juicy medium-bodied wine with a solid medium finish.  The palate is relatively true to the nose, with lots of red fruit and a slight medicinal quality in the background, but black currant and a hint of savory animal characteristic are also present to keep things interesting.

Overall, this easy-drinking wine hovers around $20 retail, and is a great pick for a Friday night gathering around some thin crust pizzas, fresh out of the brick oven!