Primo Rosso Appassimento 2022/23, Puglia

In the heel of Italy's boot, you’ll find Puglia – the home of Primitivo. But this particular bottling is anything but ordinary for the region. It’s made using the appassimento method, which has been a distinctly northern Italian style of winemaking for centuries. Primo’s winemaker, Alessandro Michelon, was the first outside of Veneto to adopt the method. He realised that Puglia’s sun-drenched, windswept vineyards offer an ideal climate for the process; once grapes are ripe, his team move through the vines, twisting the stem of every other bunch. This stops them from ripening further and allows them to dry in the wind, resulting in a concentrated and complex wine. Just like a Valpolicella, it’s big, plush and velvety, with ripe flavours of cherry, raspberry and redcurrant. A rich, meaty stew makes the perfect partner to its bold, fruity character.