Matane Primitivo Puglia IGT `09 (not TJ's) $12.99 **

I picked this up on a whim at the New Hampshire State Liquor Store.  Come to find out, even though I thought I was saving money at $12.99, it can be found for $9.99.  Nevertheless, it is not a bad wine.

Primitivo is an interesting varietal.  It is regarded as Zinfandel that is grown in Puglia (really, it is just a close cousin). The Puglia IGT is the heel of the boot, so the climate is Mediterranean. It is said that the historic fore-bearers of this Primitevo was a Croation varietal Crljenak Kaštelanski.  Enough of the history lesson, on to the drinking.

This wine is robust, spicy, has a short tannic finish with a bit of an acidic after burn.  Primitivo lives up tp its name, it is rustic.  I can't help but compare it to Tempanillos that I have liked, this wine is rustic and for the first time in my life, I tasted rosemary herbaceousness.  S. noted the vanilla highlight, and we both noted the deep, heavy fruit flavor.

I don't think that I paired it properly.  As it is a Friday night, we had Mr. Gennaro's Pizza.  I wondered aloud if Primitivo was a better Fall wine than a Spring wine, and JPH countered that it would be a good grilling wine.  Then the penny dropped.  If you balanced the tannins with a nice juicy steak, the hint of rosemary would compliment the beef, and the the vanilla highlight would add a sweetness to the char of my imaginary steak, well, I think that would be a better pairing.

After aeration with the Nuance.  S. beat me to it, and I didn't see her reaction, but when I grabbed the bottle to pour a glass, JPH said "Don't pour a full glass".  DO NOT aerate this wine.  It makes it bland and slightly sour.  The best part of it is the roughness that adds depth of character, aeration just ruins that.

Layer Cake Primitivo IGT `07 (Not TJ's) $15.00 ***

Daylight savings time was gone and I drove home from work in cold darkness.  I walked into the house and there was a smell.  A good smell. (which really needs to be stated, after all, the dog is in her late teens) After an initial guessing game of "name that scent" (I wasn't even close - I seem to be obsessed with fennel) JPH told me that I was smelling a pork butt that had been cooking in the oven all afternoon with celeriac, carrots and a head of garlic.  AND there was a bottle of Layer Cake Primitivo on the counter.  It was the perfect combination to warm yourself on a cold Fall evening -  Zinfandel to wash down roast pork with garlic and roasted new potatoes.  So what if it was freezing and pitch black outside, it was going to be a good night!

Jayson Woodbridge is one savvy Canadian wine purveyor.  He chooses his small line of wines wisely.  It is a case of name recognition.  I had tried his Australian  Layer Cake Shiraz a few months ago and I liked it.  So, it is not really a surprise that I liked his Italian Primitivo. Even though Primitivo is an identical twin to Zinfandel (same DNA) this bottle seemed fruitier and lighter than the Zinfandels that I usually drink (lower ETOH to start: 13.5%).  It had a great fresh cherry taste, a short tannin finish, and when I stuck my nose in my glass to get a sniff, it was a bit smokey. I also swear that after the swallow, there was an overripe strawberry finish.  Either my taste buds had gone mad, or this complex wine was simply pleasing on all levels and my brain was trying to identify why.

I ran it through the vinturi, it seemed dryer, the tannins were more pronounced.  I wouldn't bother decanting this wine. No fuss, just enjoy it as poured from the bottle.

This is a good wine that is complex and easy to drink.  It is fresh, fruity and would be great either as a glass of wine at the end of the day, or a bottle on the table for a good meal.

In an overwhelming feeling of guilt
for hinting that the little white dog 

could be less than perfect in her dotage, 

here she is
in all her octogenarian glory.

Tormaresca Neprica `08 (IGT) (not TJ's) $11.99 ***

My sister brought one of her recent finds with her when she visited this weekend.  (enjoying wine might just be genetic!) This is a red blend from Puglia. 40% Negroamaro, 30% Primitivo and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a good food wine. It has a nice deep fruity smell, and can hold its own against any rich or strongly flavored food.

As a stand alone, this wine is complex: flavorful  - deep,  rich (chocolate and cassis (slightly tart)), with a sharp finish, which is why as a sipping wine, it does not shine.  Also, after I treated my sister to a show of the vinturi, the wine didn't really open up, it is more like it separated upon aeration.  My advice: pour it from the bottle, don't bother aerating it - we finished the bottle unaerated.  But I do love showing off the vinturi!

This wine has almost no tannins, and when paired with stinky cheese on flatbread, it was not bad, when we dipped into the chocolate covered bacon from Roni-Sue's, well... what wouldn't be amazing with chocolate covered bacon??? The consensus was that the milk chocolate covered bacon was better with the wine than the dark chocolate covered bacon.  (How many times can I write chocolate covered bacon in a post? Chocolate covered bacon anyone? The official name is Pig Candy)

This Neprica, paired with hangar steak, mushrooms, onions and spinach... this is where the wine really was good. For the first time, I have two pictures in a post.  (mostly because I could not be bothered to futz with the lighting to get a good picture of the off white label (the steak actually tasted a lot better than it looks in the picture... one day, I will buy a nice camera - until then, you are stuck with pics from my Blackberry!)

We had spent the day wandering the Lower East Side (I was showing off my "Haunts") and our Saturday evening meal was the end of a great weekend.  I love it when people share their current favorite wine, and I sent her back to Boston with a bottle of Villa Cerina in her bag.  Who knows, we may even make a tradition out of this!

Menu (all from vendors at the Essex Street Market, Lower East Side, NYC):

Pig Candy from Ronie-Sue's Chocolates
Comte Cheese from Saxelby Cheese
Lavash Flat Bread   "
Hangar Steak from Jeffrey's Meat Market
Olive Bread from Pain D'Avignon
Sauteed Mushrooms & Red Onion from Viva Fruits and Vegetables
Fresh Baby Spinach      "

Forte Canto Primitivo `04 IGT (not TJ's) $12.99 ****

Wednesday night WOW.  I needed to scrape together some nibbles and some wine on short notice.  (30 mins) yeah, like I get it that you are worried about me, but really.... I'm kind of joking, I have the best friends in the whole wide world, and I am always happy when I get a call saying "I'm coming over" (for the record, he brought coffee Haagen-Daz - if you love me, bring ice cream).

Meanwhile, my larder is BARE.  And it is freezing outside...

I went with bacon (the last of the infamous 16# from Benton's), onion, & cheese broiled on wasa bread, mixed nuts and this Primitivo. (Really, the alternative was ramen... did I mention I am moving?)

When I opened this wine, I smiled at the black cork.  I've never seen one before.  The wine has a lovely rich woody, cherry smell, with a clearing menthol(ish) smell, it is an odd combination, but the only way I can explain it.  Fresh yet rich - cherry like. First sip, good.

After the Vinturi:  smooth and lovely.  For $13.00 this is a good one for a Sunday pot roast dinner, or grilled steak, or anything really meaty that needs a fruity highlight (maybe BBQ? Now that would be a treat).

I'll give it four stars, it came through for me tonight when I had nothing else to offer, and it was too cold to run down to the liquor store.

The importance of reading labels - I have learned that labels don't always guarantee a good wine BUT, if you go with some of the labeling, you can up your chances if buying a decent bottle - so far reading the label has worked for me! This is an IGT wine:

(From http://www.italianmade.com/wines/laws-and-labels-IGT.cfm)

In 1992, the Italian government adopted Law No. 164, which modified and expanded the DOC system. Among the law's most sweeping innovations was the introduction of the Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) category. By the end of 2002, the National DOC Wine Committee had recognized about 200 IGT classifications (see list). The IGT opened up new paths for winemakers who wanted to venture outside the relatively strict confines of the DOC and DOCG categories without, however, making concessions on the level of quality.

The IGT regulations require use of authorized varieties and most of the production codes adopted to date provide for the use of one type alone or in a ratio of at least 85% to other approved grapes.