Primitivo, an Italian grape variety, is genetically identical to Zinfandel, an American grape variety. To make the story more interesting, scientists are convinced that Primitivo arrived in Italy after Zinfandel arrived in the United States (1820). Recently, simultanious research in Croatia and at the University of California, Davis concluded that both are decendents of the Croation grape called Crljenak (thank goodness we changed the name!). About the same time that this research was published, the TTB (the government body in the US that determines what cango on wine labels) decided that Primitivo and Zinfandel could be interchangeable on wine labels for sale in the US. (Follow this link to a fascinating article summing up Zinfandel’s history)
But despite it’s genetic similarity (or identicality I guess), I find that Primitivo is decidedly different wine than a California Zinfandel. Particularly a good Primitivo like this one. While Zinfandels are full of rich, sometimes jammy fruit: Primitivos have more baked characters, less herbaceous characters, and more spicey secondary aromas than Zinfandels. But they also share a soul: both are big, hearty, alcoholic wines that rarely have too many tannins. 
Puglia, the spike heal of Italy’s boot, has been greatly improving it’s lot in the wine world. Because it was so easy to grow grapes here, Puglia has been a source of high-yielding and easy drinking, if not particularly profound, wines since the late Roman era. But in the last 10 or 15 years, the scene has begun to change, producers are slowly lowering their yeilds, and attempting to match grapes with vineyards, and even producing some really delicious wines.
This is one of them. Sinfarosa is produced by the Academia de Racemi from a vineyard of 70+ year old vines that overlook the ocean, in the superior growing region of Manduria, it boasts rich red fruit that is nearly subsumed by the heady, spicy mix of other flavors that are the defining character of this wine. try it with pizza, red sauce, and bollito misto. Drink now – 2012
