A Mano, Primitivo di Puglia

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 winemaker Mark's favourite vineyard on the coast of the Ionian Sea. The climate here is classically Mediterranean and soils are a crumbly, dark reddish-brown that resemble instant coffee and radiate heat back into the vines. The Primitivo vines are quite old; most are the original bush vine plantings after phylloxera, called ‘Alberello’, and range from 70 to 100 years old.

The Primitivo grapes were dried for five weeks. Upon arrival at the cellars, they were pressed and destemmed, then cooled to 18°C and allowed to ferment at their own pace, with minimum intervention. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was racked to an underground cement tank to age, at temperatures not exceeding 10°C, until bottling under stelvin closure.

Deeply coloured and exuberant on the nose, with intense perfumes of red and black fruit such as plum and raspberry, and Mediterranean spices. On the palate it is youthful and full-bodied, with a great balance between ripe, rounded fruit characters and smooth tannins.