Welcome to Manduria, land of the Primitivo wine

I have arranged an appointment at 10 with Anna, public relator of Consorzio Produttori vini di Manduria.

I have learned the Consorzio through Alceo, a magazine of enological culture edited by the Consorzio itself.

The magazine takes its name from Alcaeus of Mytilene, Greek lyric poet who wrote drinking songs.

My girIfriend Lucia and I leave Brindisi at 8 o’clock, heading to Manduria.

My plan is to visit firstly the immense archaeological park of Manduria, of which I’ll talk about in one of the next posts.

I am excited at the idea of visiting the Consorzio, which has been founded in 1932.

The Consorzio is a team of Primitivo wine makers.

Primitivo di Manduria wine is a DOC (quality assurance label).

The Primitivo grape probably arrived In Apulia with the Illyrian people more than 25 centuries ago.

The Illyrians came from the Balkans. They colonized the entire Apulia.

Those who settled down in Salento (south of Apulia) were given the name of Messapians by the Greeks. 

Therefore, Manduria hosted one of the largest Messapian community.

We arrive at the Consorzio at 11 o’clock. 

We are enchanted by seeing how beautiful and elegant is this place.

Anna is temporarily busy with some Swedish tourists.

So, Lucia and I begin to talk with Monica, a professional and smiley sommelier.

“would you like to taste some of our wines?” she asks. 

“Yes, please” we reply pleasantly surprised.

Monica let us taste the Memoria wine. 

Then, she pours in our glasses the Amoroso (rosé). 

After that we drink a glass of Madrigale. Finally one of Sonetto.

At this stage, I have to admit that I feel merry. The Primitivo wine is between 14% and 15%. I should not forget it.

I’m happy to be here.

The magic of conviviality has infected us. 

I start talking with Antonietta, a lady who comes form Milan.

She is so fond of Apulia that she has bought a property in Ostuni. “what I love of Apulia is its colors. 

Moreover, it is plenty of olive trees around here. They grow in a soil which looks to me a carpet.”

Then, we talk with some tourists who come from Torre Annunziata (Naples).

A French lady is with them. 

She speaks an excellent Italian. 

“I have had the disgrace of marrying an Italian from Torre Annunziata” she says smiling. 

Meantime, Anna joins us. We shake hands. I congratulate her on the amazing atmosphere here.  

Therefore, Anna leads us to see the Museo della civiltà del vino Primitivo.

I have the strong feeling that Anna and her colleagues are just a great team. 

Actually, they don’t just sale wine.

Their aim is higher, much higher. Anna leads people to a journey through the culture of the Primitivo wine.

“The tragic events of 1986 have given a great lesson to our country. Nowadays, Italian wine makers fully guarantee the consumers in terms of quality. “ Says Anna.

In 1986, 26 people died because of methanol added to wine by Ciravegna, a firm located in Piedmont.

Anna is a great public relator. She would be able to make anyone at ease.

We are reaching the end of the Primitivo wine tour.

Frankly, I have had great time here. I tasted excellent wines. I met very nice people, with whom I even exchanged mobile number and e-mail address.

I strongly recommend you to come to Manduria.

You definitely won’t be disappointed. 

Salute

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