real estate menu left
real estate menu right
real estate company logo

Login Form



User menu

MultiSearch

Keyword
Bedrooms
Bathrooms
Postcode
Radius

Latest

Puglia - Food and Drink PDF Print E-mail

The “Primitivo of Manduria” Wine

When one hears the word “Puglia” he or she undoubtedly thinks of the “Primitivo”, which is one of the most typical and diffused types of grapes in this region. This ancient vine is cultivated just about anywhere in Puglia, but found its ideal habitat in the area of Manduria, just a few kilometres from the sea. In Manduria, as well as in 17 other municipalities, they use a unique production method: the primitivo grapes are processed in their “pure” state, producing a lively red wine that has been marked as a Doc wine since 1974. This is a wine characterized by an intense red colour with violet highlights and when it is in its raw state it is defined as an “unfathomable” wine due to the intensity of its colour. Its aroma is also intense, with a characteristic hint of matured berries and liquor-soaked cherries. It is matched nicely with roasts, wild game, and meat sauces. The naturally sweet version of this wine, however, is paired excellently with almond-based pastries.

 
Foto: Consorzio Primitivo di Manduria
  

The Consortium
   
The Consortium of Producers of Wine from Manduria, one of the first social co-ops established in the central-southern part of Italy (1932), decided to specialize in the coultivar of this type of wine and offer the most varieties possible: starting with the classic “Memoria” Primitivo of Manduria Doc wine which has a good balanced taste and is produced entirely with steel and marked by tannin; then there is the even better balanced and supple wine, “Lirica”, a Doc wine refined for three months in French Allier-wooded barrels; then the “Elegia” wine, the Primitivo Doc used during special occasions, which is made precious by its spicy hint created by 13 months of refinement in wooden barrels; and finally the “Madrigale”, a sweet raison Doc wine obtained from naturally matured grapes, which is distinguished in the sweet raison wine category for its fulsome aftertaste with a perfect balance between acidity and sweetness. The Cultural Museum of the Primitivo Wine, located inside the Consortium of Producers of Wine from Manduria, retells the history of the men and the things that contributed to making the Primitivo a great wine. Before you end your visit here, make sure to taste a glass of this precious nectar.
 
Foto: Consorzio Primitivo di Manduria

Gastronomy
   
The traditional dishes of Salento are considered poor due to the ingredients used, but also extremely creative. The pasta (the best being the orecchiette) uses sauce that is in season; for example, during the summer it is more common to use fresh tomatoes in the sauce and in the winter bottled sauce. The grated cheese sprinkled on top of the pasta is the cacioricotta (the name of this cheese means 'ricotta cheese', but in reality it is a drier cheese) during the spring and summer, while in the winter the usual cheese is sheep’s milk cheese or ricotta (used without sauce). The bread of Salento, which has many different names, is also worth mentioning. There are the pizzi leccesi (or pizzionguli), of which one variant is the scèblasti, typical of the Grecia Salentina, and another is the bread with olives (also called puccia). The pizzi are dressed with tomatoes, onions, black olives, and oil. The queen of all sweets is the almond dough, obtained by grinding together shelled almonds and sugar, which is used in creating the soft fruit-shaped sweets.
 
Foto: Luigi De Vivo
 


Powered by - Terra Nova Editore SpA
Info line:+39 06 44193303 - Viale Regina Margherita 278 - 00198 Roma (RM) - Italia.