Primitivo and Midnight Chardonnay in Southern Italy

It’s a long newsletter this week with lots of links. Before I dive in, I have to call out that flowering is happening in the vineyards, and it may look like Harvest will be in September this year.

​Chateau Ste. Michelle Concert Schedule

​James Beard Awards for Restaurants and Chefs

​2023 Sunset International Wine Competition

Defranceschi, a wine equipment manufacturer, has relocated to Portland, Oregon.

Carrie Wynkoop of Cellar 503 is opening a collaborative winery in Downtown Portland.

Archery Summit got a 97 and Best in Show, along with Bledsoe Family Winery at the Decanter Wine Awards

And my link to James Suckling was all messed up last week. Here’s to hoping this one works.

Last week I mentioned a whirlwind of a trip through Southern Italy. The trip's primary purpose was to get away, relax and explore. Wine was not at the top of the agenda, but I had to explore wines while I was there!

Before heading to Italy, I researched whether wineries were close to Bari. I found one or two, and they were not close to where we were. In my research, I discovered Primitivo is a dominant grape in the Puglia region, aka Zinfandel. As the trip approached, I also heard I needed to check out Negroamaro. I went into the area with little knowledge and wanted to see what I ran into. It sounds similar when I go and visit winemakers here in Oregon.

Landing in Bari around dinnertime was perfect timing to check out some wine, and wouldn’t you know it, Primitivo is the first selection. Now, this is far from California Zin. The Primitivo is lighter and doesn’t have the heavy bold characteristics I have found with a Zinfandel.

After dinner was all about exploring Bari Old Town. So many little twists and turns, and there is no way to know where you are. Good thing for cell phones and Google Maps! Anyway, a shop was serving wine and little charcuterie-type boards to people at 11:00 at night. Walking into his little shop, there were a couple of stainless steel tanks with hoses to pour wine out of. One tank was Primitivo, and the other was Chardonnay. I was shocked to see Chardonnay and had to try it! The shop owner said it was very fresh!

Taking the first sip of the Chard, I was stunned. I had never had a Chardonnay that was this floral. It was surprisingly fresh, something I will never forget, and I doubt whether this was a true Chardonnay. In looking at a Wine Enthusiast post, I don’t see Chardonnay listed in Southern Italy, but I will keep researching and learning.

Side note, two glasses of wine and a charcuterie board was 9 euro. Remember this later. There will be a quiz.

After sleeping for 13 hours, it was time to get some lunch. One standout for the whole trip for me was the Aperol Spritz. They are super easy to make, super refreshing, and perfect for lunch. I already have an order from Amazon coming for Aperol, so I can recreate it for the 4th.

Our Airbnb host suggested we check out a wine bar called 330 Vino. Supposedly 330 are the number of unique bottles of wine in the store that represents the world of wine. It was a nice little store. The owner spoke excellent English and thought Oregon Pinot was way too expensive.

As he opened a 2019 Le Piane Mimmo, I mentioned the previous night’s Chardonnay and how cheap it was for two glasses and Charcuterie. He asked how much we paid and said, “You got robbed.” Ok, lesson learned, I guess.

The shopkeeper didn’t tell us much about the Mimmo, and now after researching I see it was from Piemonte and a blend of Nebbiolo (65%), Vespolina (5%), Croatina (30%). It was good, but nothing to blow my socks off about.

After finishing the glass, I went to pay, and he said, “6 euro.” My first reaction is not to haggle with the price and pay. That is what I did, but I have to say I felt like I was robbed.

Onward was a corner restaurant that looked like it had an excellent selection of wine. Asking if we could have a couple of glasses of wine, we were told no at first because of a private event, but the owner overrode the decision with a table outside perfect for people watching.

Real quick, the Sauvignon was great! The Graci had been open for too long.

More walking around happened with some gelato consumed and eventually finding another little restaurant in Bari Old Town next to the Cathedral of San Sabino. Asking the waiter what he liked, he came out with the 2021 The Hipster Negroamaro. This was the best wine of the evening so far! After finishing a glass, I asked for a picture of the bottle. He gave me the bottle and left it on the table for 10 minutes. Nothing was stopping me from pouring more.

Getting lost in the streets of Bari Old Town, we came upon a pizza place and decided to eat dinner around 9:30. Wine came with the pizza. It was good, but I have yet to learn what it was. Was it better than The Hipster? Nope. It was interesting to have a bottle of chilled red wine in plastic cups with pizza, though—the total cost for two pizzas and wine was 20 euro.

There might have been one more glass of wine, some food, and Limoncello shots afterward, but I have to get moving along here!

The next day was all about adventuring in another town. Taking the train to a white city called Ostuni was our next destination. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and around lunchtime, we found a place to eat with a massive wine list. It took me a solid 15 minutes to figure out what to order. I finally decided on a Tormaresca Furía di Calafuria. It was a Rose of Negroamora, and I have to say it was pretty enjoyable, especially for the warm day. It did not pair with the shrimp on my pizza, though.

After a lovely day in Ostuni and heading back to Bari on the train, it was amazing to see all of the grape vines throughout the country intermingled with a ton of olive trees. Some of the trees look old as all get out. Here is a picture of an olive tree just outside of Ostuni.

For the grapevines, the way they trellis the vines is different from what I am used to in Oregon. At one point in the train ride, I saw a few people standing next to a vine, and it was taller than they were. I couldn’t compute at all. I would post a picture, but getting a decent train ride picture isn’t easy.

After resting a little bit from the train ride, guess what? It was time for dinner. This little restaurant had less than ten tables and was super cozy. It also had a ton of award stickers outside the closed door. I must admit it felt a little weird, but a little sign said, “Push to ring bell,” or something of that nature. Once the door was opened, we asked if there was room for two. With a less than pleasant face, the waitress said, “Yes,” and showed us to a table.

Yet another excellent wine list, and in getting some advice on what to choose, the SOMM decided on a 2021 Masseria Li Veli Susumaniello. It was the best wine of the day, but we didn’t finish it. Instead, we took it with us for the next adventure to Sorrento early the next day.

Getting into Sorrento, the hotel room wasn’t quite ready, so what does one do? Well, you get an Aperol Spritz, of course!

And then afterward, as a little snack before dinner, you get a Limoncello Spritz with all of the yummy goodness!!

Once we got to dinner, I realized I was in Italy and hadn’t had lasagna yet. I had pretty much everything else but no lasagna. The wine that went with my lasagna was a DeAngelis Solaro Rosso. It was the house red, and it was ok. I have no idea about any of the details, which makes me sad. The waiter brought the bottle for me to take a picture but had zero interest in telling me anything about the wine.

The following day was another train ride up to Rome. We arrived late and asked the front desk, who had good pizza nearby. There was one choice for wine, and it was pretty enjoyable! Again, I have no details on the wine. It was a private white label for the restaurant.

Does it sound like all I did was eat and drink wine the whole trip? I promise I did more than that, but there was quite a bit of food and wine consumed.

Speaking of food, lunch the next day was in a neighborhood called Trastevere. Looking over the wine-by-the-glass options, I saw a Schioppettino, and my heart immediately leaped back to Oregon when I was blinded by this grape from Sara and Dave of Bells Up. If you have yet to watch me getting blinded on the podcast, here is the link. It was yummy goodness, and I can’t wait to taste this grape from Sara and Dave in the coming years!

I wanted something a bit more special for the final dinner in Rome. I ended up with a 2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino with a big plate of pasta and crazy fresh sauce!

After dinner, there was a wine bar just down the road. I was curious; wow, this place was packed on a Monday night at 10:00! I told the person pouring I was looking for something like an Oregon Pinot, and she looked at me all weird. I rephrased and asked for something like Pinot Noir. She poured me a Vallée d'Aoste Torrette Superieur and didn’t have the time to tell me anything about it. I enjoyed it, but again, nothing knocked my socks off.

I went back in to get a glass of Prosecco but was persuaded into a glass of Pisoni Millesimato Nature Trentodoc. I am unsure of the year, but it was 100% Chardonnay Method Classico. With Sparkling being my last wine in Italy was lovely! I enjoyed the mouthfeel, and there was crazy acidity on it.

When I got back home, I was curious about what Karen MacNeil had to say about the Puglia region, and here is what she said:

Of course, there was way more, and I have no doubt there are some stellar wines in the region. Trying to find these wines seems complicated and reminds me of what I am doing with Weinnotes. I want to make it easier for everyone to find those little gemstones where amazing producers knock it out of the ballpark with their wine. With that being said, thank you for reading a crazy long newsletter this week!

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With Gratitude, 


A.J.

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