The Roamer's Dozen - Lesson Zero Mottura Villa Mottura Primitivo del Salento

Oct 17, 2025
2 min read

Mottura Villa Mottura Primitivo del Salento IGT

Primitivo

Primitivo has actually been found to be the same grape as Zinfandel from California! The variety does have roots in Southern Italy though where it produces reds of much more interest than White Zin from Tesco! The wines are full bodied and typically high in alcohol. The fruit is juicy and ripe with flavours of blueberry, vanilla and dried herbs and in the glass it shows a bright red colour often with noticeable legs.

Puglia

It’s hot down here in Southern Italy. As a consequence the wines from here tend to be full of fruit and easy to drink. The abundance of sun makes for full bodied wines with pretty high alcohol. The most famous varietals from Puglia include Nero di Troia, Negroamaro and Primitivo. Most are sold as simply country wines without a DOC and most are very good value.

Skip the pricey bottles on this one

Two factors make this wine the way it is. Firstly the berries themselves which even though they have thin skin are small so have a lot of skin compared to the volume of juice making for deep colour and good tannins which both come from the skins. Second the area they grow in is hot and heat produces sugar which in turn give alcohol and body. This wine is an IGT so the yields are higher than for more expensive wines meaning more berries per vine which dilutes the sugar and gives a more reasonable alcohol content. At lower yields these wines get very overpowering so from Puglia I would normally choose a wine lower down the price range to get something easier to drink and less akin to Ribena.

Spicy Tomato Sauce

Acidity in wine acts a palate cleanser, so pefect for a spicy sauce, where you need a little respite from the heat. This Primitivio is high acid and low tanin. Tomatoes are naturally acidic and can make high-tannin wines taste flat, bitter, or even metallic. Because Primitivo’s acidity outweighs its tannin, it harmonizes beautifully with tomato sauce. For extra bonus points serve with a plate of charred Mediteranean vegetables, they will highlight the wine's earthly, slightly smoky qualities. On the opposite side, pairing this wine with a sweet fatty meat dish such as a glazed pork, could make the wine seem flat and bitter.