What is the difference between primitivo and zinfandel

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You must be over 21 to use this site. Are you over 21? Yes No. Zinfandel and Primitivo are two names for the same grape.

What is the history of the grape and how did it end up with different names? Zinfandel is a grape primarily grown in California. Primitivo is a grape primarily grown in Italy. But these grapes are actually the same. And even more, Primitivo and Zinfandel were never the original names for this grape. Gioia del Colle DOC: , litres of wine [1] equivalent to 0.

Salento IGT: Red rosso — still, sparkling, late harvest, passito, novello. White bianco — still, sparkling, late harvest, passito. Primitivo di Manduria DOC: 9 tonnes per hectare. In unfavourable years may be reduced by the Consorzio [5].

In unfavourable years may be reduced by the Consorzio [6]. Historians believe it was brought across the Adriatic Sea from Dalmatia in the 18th Century. A century later, Primitivo was brought to America and rebranded as Zinfandel.

This announcement was great news for the grape in Italy. Although Primitivo had been a popular blending grape for a long time, hundreds of hectares were destroyed under the EU vine-pulling scheme.

Primitivo can be tricky to grow, as the bunches tend to ripen unevenly, so many farmers decided to pull theirs up rather than their more profitable grapes. The news that Primitivo and Zinfandel are one and the same meant Primitivo was suddenly more marketable as a single varietal. Even better, from Italian exporters were allowed to label Primitivo as Zinfandel — although few choose to do this, it was still excellent publicity.

Ripe black cherries, vanilla and smoke are the key flavours of this wine. It then spends three months in French oak to pick up a touch of spice. This captivating and deep organic Primitivo has won the prestigious Tre Bicchieri award.

Seriously complex, it tastes of mulberry, dark chocolate, pipe tobacco and vanilla. This wine is made from grapes grown on old vines, so they have a deeper and more intense flavours. Perhaps more to the point, it charges for the privilege. Is it fair to compare the two varieties directly? The grape alone can't reflect the character of a wine or the resources that go into its creation.

At the same event, Tuscan winemaker Alberto Antonini put Italian grapes into a broader context based on his experience of advising New World producers. Antonini is dismayed at the presumption that anyone can plant the chianti grape anywhere and make a New World equivalent.