Passitivo Primitivo IGT Puglia, Orion Wines (Organic)

Description

Passitivo Primitivo IGT Puglia is a red wine made with semi-dried grapes in the Puglia region of Italy. It is made by Orion Wines, a company created to bring together interesting wines from small growers and wineries from all over Italy. The company was created by Luca Pomaro and winemaker Alessandro Michelon and Orion Wines retains complete control over the vineyards and growers they work with. The idea is to produce wines from indigenous grapes that express the typicity of the particular region where they are grown. The grapes for the Passitivo Primitivo are sourced from selected low-yielding vineyards near Sava and Salento in southern Puglia. The vines are all grown using the Alberello Basso method – they are free-standing bush vines. When the Primitivo grapes reach perfect maturity, the grapes are slightly dried using the “il giro del picciolo”(the twisting of the stem) technique. This unusual technique involves twisting the stem of the grape bunches so that no futher nourishment reaches the grapes. The grapes for the Passitivo Primitivo are left on the vine for around 12 days, this induces a natural drying of the grapes on the vine (similar to the appasimento method whereby grapes are dried in wooden crates in aerated lofts) and the grapes lose approximately 25 to 30% of their weight. This has the effect of concentrating the flavours and natural sweetness of the grapes. After hand-harvest and destemming the grapes are vinified. 25% of the wine is aged for 12 months in French and American barriques.