Italian primitivo shares family tree with zinfandels

Editor's note: Frank Sutherland, Editor of The Tennessean (Nashville) newspaper, writes a weekly wine column for Gannett News Service. This week, it fills in for the regular Wine Guy column by Star-Gazette Photo Editor Jeff Richards.

Some years ago, I embarrassed myself with my lack of knowledge about Italian wines.

I was having dinner with a doctor friend of mine in Colorado when the server suggested a primitivo with our dinner.

My friend asked me what I thought, and I had to confess that I knew nothing about the grape. Upon tasting it, we remarked that it resembled a zinfandel. Not seeing primitivo very often on our wine shelves, I forgot about it ... until recently.

The connection with zinfandel was stronger than just a resemblance in taste.

Zinfandel's roots always have been a mystery, and it always has been called California's only indigenous wine grape.

DNA research has now shown that zinfandel is a clone of the Croatian grape, crljenak. Primitivo is also a clone of crljenak. I could go on about the scene involved, but for all practical purposes, primitivo is the same as zinfandel.

Primitivo planted and produced in Europe will have substantial differences from the California zins. But you can expect, in most cases, the same ripe berry-and-peppery flavors you find in full-bodied zinfandels.

I asked the wine-tasting group to compare five primitivos ranging in price from $9 to $25. Here is what we found:

- 2001 Terrale Primitivo at $8.99. The aroma reminded us of cocoa, brown sugar as in a butter sauce and black cherries with smoke and savory spices. The taste of bitter chocolate was clear on the palate, with licorice on the finish. The Terrale finished third in our tasting.

- 1999 Leone de Castris Primitivo at $11.99. This wine had a smoky aroma, too, with notes of iodine but not as much fruit as the Terrale. This wine exploded in the mouth, big and full-bodied, tasting much better than the aroma promised. The wine turned very dry on the finish.

- 2001 Kiona Zinfandel at $19.99. This wine had an aroma of tarragon, dill, clove, dark fruit and lots of oak. On the palate, it had nice tannins (those chemicals in fruit that give wine structure but which can taste harsh in a young wine) plus peaty, meaty tastes. The Kiona ranked second among our five primitivos.

- 2001 La Corte Primitivo at $24.99. We found dill, butterscotch, caramel corn and sweet oak. We tasted sweet cherries in the mouth, along with hints of cedar.

- 2002 A-Mano Primitivo at $11.99. This wine had an aroma of ripe cherries, cloves, allspice and roses. In the mouth, it had a silky texture with notes of fig. The finish was delightful. This wine was the favorite of the tasting.

Surfing the wine shelves

- 2001 Kirralaa Indelible Reserve Shiraz at $50. Black fruit and lots of spice filled the aroma along with hints of leather. The spice was even more pronounced in the mouth with tastes of blackberries and blueberries.

- 2003 Kirralaa Chardonnay at $14. This wine's aroma offered ripe pear, peach and melon. It showed citrus on the finish.

- 2000 Luce IGT Toscana at $75. This wine was 60 percent merlot and 40 percent Sangiovese. It tasted of jammy fruit, plums, anise and cigar with nice kitchen spices.

- 2002 Attems Pinot Grigio at $20. This wine had an herbal aroma that included perfume, minerals and apples. It had a pleasant, crisp finish.

- 2001 Le Serre Nuove Tenuta Dell'Ornellia at $50. This wine was 70 percent cabernet sauvignon and 30 percent merlot. It was soft and ready to drink with tastes of currants and plums in a round, textured wine.

- 2002 Kissing Bridge Chardonnay at $6. This was a simple, easy-to-drink wine with pears and tropical fruits.

- 2002 Hanna Sauvignon Blanc at $15.99. This wine had a traditional herbal aroma of grass and honeysuckle and citrus fruit. Grapefruit tastes helped make the finish crisp and clean.

Questions may be sent to Frank Sutherland, editor, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville 37203, or e-mailed to editor@tennessean.com.