Down Your eGullet: a weekly wine

[Craig Camp]

The parent vine of both these varietals is called Crljenak (pronounced just like it's spelled) and comes from Croatia. Zinfandel may, in fact, be an older clone of Crljenak than Primitivo which has less than 200 years of recorded history in Italy.

click here for 2002 Torre Quarto, Primitivo, Tarabuso

[Andre]

Great news !

Thanks for the illuminating article. I never came across a primitivo that resembled a zinfandel. The Italian always seemed to me on the drier side less alcoholic with a somehow softer tannins.

Some Italian wines such as Rocca Alta do carry both names on the label but the higher quality wines usually stick to primitivo.

I have tasted some nice blends of Negroamaro and primitivo by Promesa. They provide a very smooth texture in wines like the Salento 2001.

cheers,