Notte Rossa San Marzano

A Primitivo di Manduria, Notte Rossa 2016 San Marzano is a pleasing varietal wine with a modern style and a price to smack your lips.

Notte Rossa (Red Nights) or night of missed chances? When it comes to Primitivo di Manduria the doubt always remains. It missed the bandwagon of the 1990s, when the domestic market sought wines with the exact characteristics of Primitivo di Manduria – color, fruit and softness to burn – to then be overshadowed in recent years by the popularity of the more austere and darker Primitivo di Gioia del Colle. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the wine that has won more prizes in Italian wine guides, Es of Gianfranco Fino, is a Primitivo di Manduria (it has since left the appellation, ed.note) and with good reason. A recent change in leadership at the Consorzio di Tutela producers’ association has resulted in greater attention being paid to promoting the wine abroad and so the future looks bright.

Notte Rossa from San Marzano is a Manduria tailor-made for mass distribution with a style that leaves nothing to chance. Blatantly modern, it has no oxidized notes or heavy sweetness but is full of fragrance and fruit.

The style is more American than Italian, closer to a California Zinfandel (which is a Primitivo variety, ed.note), and this is a good wine for everyday consumption.

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