Imperio LXXIV, Primitivo di Manduria Dop 2019, continues to collect awards on a national and international level, which makes us really proud.
Below are the awards won so far:
Gold Medal Decanter 95 points
Falstaff 93 points
Gold Medal at the Berliner Wine Trophy
Luca Maroni 97 points
Corona d’oro by the Vini Buoni d’Italia Guide.
Today, we want to talk about the vine variety of one of our leading Apulian products – Primitivo.
This marvellous Apulian vine variety, which is famous all over the world, is giving us great satisfaction with Imperio LXXIV.
Primitivo, which is related to Zinfaldel from California, is a red grape vine variety characterized by medium-sized grapes with a dark blue and rich in bloom.
The name derives from the Latin “primativus”, which means “that ripens first – early ripening”, as the grapes ripen earlier than other red grape vine varieties.
Harvesting starts already in mid-late August. The grapes reach an optimal ripening level, with the right percentage of wilted grapes that confer richness and structure to the wine. The “early” ripening does not prevent the sugars from increasing their concentration, leading to wines with considerable alcoholic strength.
Primitivo di Manduria obtained the Controlled Designation of Origin mark on 30th April 1974.
Primitivo vineyards are traditionally trained employing the Alberello system (bush-trained), which is typical of the Mediterranean culture of Greek origin. It is a reduced-expansion system where plants are not supported nor forced which, therefore, follows their natural development.
Do you want to see the Primitivo vineyards in Alberello up close?
Book a tour of our Masseria Feudo Croce in Carosino.