A Mano Primitivo Appassito

Mark Shannon and his partner Elvezia Sbalchiero have revolutionised the style and calibre of Primitivo, turning it into one of Puglia’s most talked about grape varieties. They achieved this at A Mano, in Salento, by paying fair, high prices for the best possible grapes (sourced from 70 to 100-year-old vines) and focusing exclusively on quality, while crafting a modern style. As the old saying goes, where you lead others will follow.

The continued success of A Mano is at least partly attributable to the knowledge that Mark and Elvezia have gleaned from over 18 vintages in Puglia. Not only do they have access to Salento’s best grapes, but their growers have also realised that if they want the higher price paid by A Mano, they need to provide quality to match.

Primitivo,

The grapes for this wine come from a selection of Mark's four favourite 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 climate is classically Mediterranean, as Puglia is on a peninsula between the Adriatic and the Ionian seas. The Primitivo vines are quite old; most are the original post-phylloxera plantings 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 and the best sites have a crumbly, dark reddish brown soil that resembles instant coffee.

The Primitivo grapes were dried for five weeks. On arrival at the cellars, the grapes were pressed, destemmed and cooled to 18°C and the must was allowed to ferment at its own pace. After racking in mid-November, the wine remained in an underground cement tank where the temperature did not exceed 10°C until being bottled under Stelvin.

Made in the style of an Amarone, this red is concentrated and opulent on the palate, with a great balance and long finish.

This wine is deep red in colour. On the nose, there are intense aromas of ripe dark fruit, crushed raspberries, plums and Mediterranean spices. On the palate, it is full-bodied with a great concentration of ripe, rounded fruit.