The first documented use of the term Primitivo appears in Italian government publications in the 1870s.
The name is derived from the terms primativus or primaticcio, which refer to the grape’s tendency to ripen earlier than other varieties.
The appearance of this name, 40 years after the first documented use of the term Zinfandel, should previously indicate that Primitivo was introduced to Italy from across the Atlantic.
However, this hypothesis has become unlikely since the vine’s Croatian origin was discovered. It is believed that Primitivo was introduced to the Italian region of Puglia as a standalone clone in the 18th century.
Don Francesco Filippo Indellicati, the priest of the church in Gioia del Colle near Bari, selected an early (“primo”) ripening plant of the Zagarese variety and planted it in Liponti.
This clone matured at the end of August and spread throughout northern Apulia. Cuttings came as part of the dowry of Countess Sabini of Altamura to the other great Primitivo DOC (denominazione di origine controllerata or “designation of controlled origin”) when she donated at the end of the 19th century Tommaso Schiavoni-Tafuri of Manduria married.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the domestication of Vitis Vinifera in the Caucasus dates back to 6,000 BC. Took place and shortly after the winemaking was discovered.
The cultivation of the vine then spread to the Mediterranean and the surrounding regions. Croatia once had several native varieties that were related to Zinfandel and that formed the basis of its wine industry in the 19th century.
This diversity suggests that the grapes were grown longer in Croatia than anywhere else.
However, these varieties were almost completely wiped out by the phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century, ultimately reducing Zinfandel to just nine vines of the locally known “Crljenak Kaštelanski”, which were discovered in 2001 on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia.
Primitivo is a widespread grape variety. It started as Crljenak Kaštelanski in the border area between Croatia and Hungary and was grown in Dalmatia for a long time. From here he traveled to southern Italy and the USA.
The grape variety is now internationally known and popular as Zinfandel and Primitivo. For a long time they were discussed from side to side, but today there is relative agreement as to the origin of the Primitivo. All threads come together in Croatia, more precisely in the southern coastal strip of Dalmatia, where some strains of the Crljenak Kaštelanski variety were found in 2001, which escaped destruction by phylloxera 100 years ago.
The genetic analysis showed that Crljenak Kaštelanski is identical to the southern Italian variety Primitivo and the classic Californian Zinfandel.
This gave the Primitivo in Italy a huge boost and at the same time came at a time when Apulian, Sicilian and Calabrian winemakers no longer wanted to see themselves as vicarious agents for Tuscany or Piedmont. For a long time, their wines gave the northern Italian drops their strength and color, but were otherwise treated rather disparagingly.
This gave the Primitivo in Italy an enormous boost and came at a time when the winemakers of Puglia, Sicily and Calabria no longer wanted to see themselves as indirect agents of Tuscany or Piedmont. For a long time, their wines gave the northern Italian wines their strength and color, but were otherwise treated with some contempt. Grape varieties such as Primitivo, Nero d’Avola and Aglianico were now on the train and became the main drivers of the miracle of southern Italian wine.
Increasingly recognized Italian wine companies such as Antinori or Farnese increased their involvement in southern Italy and brought their know-how and money on the scales. Today not only names like Tormaresca Torcicoda or Vigneti del Salento Oversettanta are synonymous with excellent wines from the Italian sun.
The Primitivo wines from Apulia, Sicily or Calabria can now easily stand next to the great Zinfandel wines from California and have enriched the world of Italian wine considerably. Dense, delicious red wines enjoy dark forest fruits, plums and cherries, complemented by spicy notes of tobacco, leather or cedarwood.
