An Italian Primitivo Rosé
Maybe Zinfandel's cousin...Ogio Primitivo Rosé
If you have been following my posts religiously (as perhaps thousands have), you may think that I took yet another vacation. Not quite true. Given a change in medication I dropped all alcohol for a couple of weeks to avoid potential side effects. The good news is that the bottles are back. I am doing rosé this week. Today’s wine comes from Apulia, a high-volume region of southern Italy. The producer is a 3rd generation wine making family from Veneto, five regions up the Adriatic coast. Founded in 1928, Casa Vinicola Botter sold wine regionally in casks and demijohns and only got into bottles in the 1950s. Now 90% of their production is exported. They also export grape juice, quoting their website “a product unknown in Italy”. Many people think that the Primitivo grape is closely related to Zinfandel. The companion wine is a rosé from the famous (but not for high-quality wine) Provence region in southern France, coming in at twice the price.
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed
Ogio Primitivo Rosé IGT 2010 12.5 % alcohol about $9
Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. “Tasting Note: Clear pale coral color; strawberry, raspberry, and cherry aromas; dry, light to medium body; ripe berry flavor. Serving Suggestion: Serve with summer salad.“ And now for my review.
At the first sips this wine seemed slightly metallic. Its acidity was too harsh, but there was a tinge of sweetness. I started with Japanese rice crackers that softened the libation’s acidity. And a Wasabi pea made it taste good. The initial meal was an omelet perked up with majoram, garlic powder, dried basil leaves, black pepper, and a Middle Eastern spice mix. The unfortunate result was mouth puckering acidity and not much fruit. With hummus the drink was sweet with a trace of berries. The other side dish was a Matabucha salad containing tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, sweet red and green pepper. This marriage led to a peppery wine with a touch of raspberries.
The following meal centered on sautéed chicken breast cubes covered with a mixture of cumin, garlic powder, and black pepper. Now the wine was round and offered raspberries. Perhaps surprisingly, bulgar intensified the liquid’s acidity. Then came a Turkish salad consisting of tomato, tomato paste, onion, sweet red pepper, garlic, sugar, and other spices. The salad muted the wine. And fresh raspberries rendered this Primitivo tasteless.
My final meal was a boxed eggplant parmiagana that I doused with grated Parmesan cheese. The wine started out sour, but did improve although I didn’t notice a lot of fruit. Zinny’s cousin didn’t mesh with dessert, bittersweet Swiss chocolate.
For years I have been reviewing the wines with two cheeses. No longer; at least not on a regular basis. I am not a big fan of wine and cheese and don’t feel that I’ll miss it.
Final verdict. This wine didn’t even come close. The producer makes other similarly-priced wines that are available in my area. I am not rushing to try them.
Access the companion wine I Love French Wine And Food - Yet Another Bandol RoséAbout the Author
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would
rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario
French-language community college. His wine websites include
www.theworldwidewine.com
and http://www.wineinyourdiet.com
Visit his website devoted to italian travel
www.travelitalytravel.com
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