Bacchus versus Ceres. We did not travel back in time and imagined a hypothetical conflict between these two gods of ancient Rome, we are in the year 2008 and the names of these two gods are still dear to the lovers of wine and beer. Ceres, Roman god of fertility and of Mother Earth, is believed to have taught mortal humans the cultivations of fields and, in particular, the production of beer, one of the most ancient beverages made by men. In the last months it seems Ceres is evidently challenging Bacchus, the god of wine in ancient Rome, of vine harvesting and his cult is known as bacchanalia festival. In Italy wine and beer are in fact challenging one each other in order to conquer the highest step of the podium in the preferences of consumers. A fact that, in a country like Italy, which has a millenary culture on the consumption and tradition of wine, represents a striking news.

 Right in Italy, where the throne has always been occupied by wine, beer is more and more conquering the preferences of consumers, as to almost reach the consumption of the beverage of Bacchus. Maybe in Italy has come a historical moment, in which the traditional wine will progressively give its place to beer? It is undeniable beer producers and the associations connected to this beverage have done an excellent job in promotion and revaluation, without offense to anyone, by following the example of what was done for the success of wine. In restaurants, a place where wine has always been the undisputed mate of food, together with wine and spirit lists, it is now becoming more and more common the presence of beer list, not only draught beer, but also bottled beer. Typical companion of pizza in the choices of consumers, today in Italy beer is progressively becoming a companion for food as well.

 Wine continues to stand comparison with beer, but it is undeniable in the last months the distance between the two beverages has evidently become shorter. Maybe it is a temporary fashion, one of those many fashions which are destined to disappear in a short time, one of those which also happened for wine in the last years? Or, could it be consumers are looking for something else, tired of the “same old wine”, too much masked in its role of beverage for the élite, destined to few experts and which is making consumers feel uneasy and therefore looking for lesser formality? Without belittling beer, a beverage of noble origins and having a history even longer than wine, it is however undeniable the beverage of Ceres is less formal than the beverage of Bacchus, or at least consumers, although appreciating it, do not see any formality in beer or the ceremoniality that is usually seen in wine. Or, simply, wine does not catch the attention of consumers anymore and they got tired of it and of its fashions?

 Indeed, there are many who associate this receding in the consumption of wine with an Italian law concerning the assumption of alcohol and, in particular, the fear of incurring in serious penalties and fines in case, while driving a vehicle, one's blood alcohol content would be higher than what has been set by law. According to this point of view, beer certainly has an advantage over wine. With its lower volume in alcohol - wine contains an average of 13%, whereas beer has just 5% - the beverage of Ceres seems to promise less troubles in case one is being stopped by the police. We sincerely hope this is not corresponding to the truth: it is sad to think consumers choose a beverage - wine or beer, it makes no difference - only because for this reason and not because of a conscious choice. A behavior like that will certainly make happy the ones who work in commercial strategies, but not the ones who understand the culture expressed by these two beverages. We believe it is offensive in any case, both to the tradition and culture of these two millenary beverages, as well as for the ones who make this silly choice and which can be sadly defined as boozer, as to not exaggerate in the use of other less kind terms.

 And in case the result of a law is to frighten or to repress instead of making people understand and to favor a conscious culture for the consumption of alcohol, therefore it is a law which needs improvements and which brings negative consequences only, at least in the culture of people. Human beings, as it is commonly known, in case something is forbidden, as soon as they can, they will break that rule adopted only to repress and which does not create anything. Prohibitionism has probably taught something, in this sense. Whether beer is getting more and more the favor of consumers is evident, and not only at the restaurant. For certain aspects, it can be seen in beer what has been seen in wine some years ago. For example, it is enough a quick visit to any supermarket and if once there were large sectors dedicated to wine, today are also seen large sectors dedicated to beer as well, with a broad range of types, producers, from cans to bottles: anyone can find the beer he or she likes the most. And if once in the tables of pizzeria restaurants were glasses of draught beer, today are frequently seen bottles instead.

 The same can be seen in restaurants, in that place where bottled beer was considered as a pretty bizarre request and the best you could get, in the best cases, was draught beer, most of the times of disputable quality. Let's make things clear: these are not considerations caused by envy or the fear of seeing the beverage of Bacchus to fade, something - frankly speaking - which seems to be pretty improbable. Beer, just like wine, is a noble and ancient beverage, rich in culture and which certainly deserves attention. In case it is about to exalt the cultural aspect of a beverage, and not its consumistic aspect, one should be happy for this, indeed, one is also well disposed to favor it. There are many who believe wine, as opposed to beer, has a higher charm and a higher nobility, and for this reason, beer will never reach the prestige of wine. It is however undeniable that when a beer is of good quality, in particular certain and praiseworthy results obtained by some artisanal breweries - so distant from the industrial reality - also a good glass of the beverage of Ceres can give good emotions. And certainly Bacchus, on the strength of his sturdy fame of glorious fast liver, will certainly be pleased with a smile, while winking his eye at the colleague Ceres.

 Despite its name could make anyone think differently, Primitivo has nothing in common with prehistory. Primitivo is among the most famous grapes of Apulia and it can be found in all the region, where it is generally used alone as well as together with other Apulian autochthonous or international grapes. The most famous representation of Primitivo certainly is the one of Manduria area, in the province of Taranto. The origin of this grape has been a mystery for a long time. Although now Primitivo is considered an autochthonous grape of Apulia, this grape shares its origin with another famous grape, the only one the viticulturists of the United States of America consider to be autochthonous in their country: Zinfandel. Researches done by geneticist Carole Meredith of the renowned University of California Davis, have finally allowed to reveal the history and the origins of this grape. The first result was the discovery of the fact Zinfandel is similar to Primitivo. This fact was used by wine producers in Apulia who started exporting their Primitivo wines in the United States, even writing in the label the name Zinfandel.

 Researches allowed the discovery of the fact Plavac Mali, a grape from Dalmatia, in Croatia, was genetically similar to Zinfandel, and therefore to Primitivo, and the grapes shared the same origin. Further researches allowed the identification of a Dalmatian grape having genetic characteristic very similar to Zinfandel: Dobričić. Finally the researches on the vineyards of the area allowed the identification of a grape genetically equal to Zinfandel and therefore to Primitivo. it was the rare red berried grape - now almost extinct and almost forgotten in Croatia - discovered in the city of Kaštela and known as Crljenak Kaštelanski. It is not however clear how this grape reached the United States of America, whereas it is very likely it was introduced in Apulia at the end of the seventeenth century by some Slav people migrated to the region.

 The vocation of the Manduria area to viticulture was already known and appreciated at the times of ancient Romans. Pliny the Elder defined Manduria as viticulosae, that is “full of vineyards”, although at those times it was not Primitivo. Despite its name could make anyone think at very ancient origins, at prehistorical times, indeed Primitivo takes it name from the fact it tends to ripe in advance than other varieties. Thanks to this quality, the grape was known in past times with the name of primativus or primaticcio, and lately known with the current name of Primitivo. Manduria is the most famous and representative area for Primitivo and has been one of the first wine areas of Apulia to be known in the world. Wines produced in this area belong to the category of Denominazione d'Origine Controllata (Denomination of Controlled Origin, DOC). In Manduria, Primitivo is the only grape allowed for making the wines of the area and it is produced in the dry style - the most famous one - as well as natural sweet (dolce naturale), fortified dry liquoroso secco) and natural fortified sweet liquoroso dolce naturale).

	The three Primitivo di Manduria wines of our comparative tasting

 According to the production disciplinary, Primitivo di Manduria is produced with 100% of the homonymous grape, and despite there is no explicit mention to the aging method, producers usually prefer to do this practice in cask or barrique, as in the case of the wines of our comparative tasting. The first wine is Accademia dei Racemi's Primitivo di Manduria Zinfandel Sinfarosa, aged in part in cask and in part in steel tanks. The second wine of the tasting is Vinicola Savese's Primitivo di Manduria Tradizione del Nonno, aged in part in barrique. The third wine of our tasting is Soloperto's Primitivo di Manduria Patriarca, aged for 9 months in barrique and for 2 years in cask. The three wines will be served at the temperature of 18°C (65°F) - in order to exalt the typical qualities of Primitivo and of its aromas - and will be served, as usual, in three ISO tasting glasses.

 Primitivo is a grape capable of producing wines of full body, characterized by very intense colors and with pretty low transparencies, sometimes also impenetrable to light. Thanks to its content in coloring substances, Primitivo enriches its wines with pretty deep and intense hues, something which is also accentuated by the aging in cask - the most common choice for this grape - with the result of obtaining very low transparencies. The richness in polyphenols allows wines produced with Primitivo to stand to long period of aging in bottle, a period during which the color develops. During its youth, Primitivo shows an intense and deep ruby red color, with ruby red or purple red nuances. After some years can be noticed an evident change, where the color turns into garnet red and the nuance gets a brick orange hue, a color which is also noticed at the top of its evolution.

 We will begin the phase of appearance analysis from Accademia dei Racemi's Primitivo di Manduria Zinfandel Sinfarosa. By holding the glass tilted over a white surface, it will be observed the base of the glass in order to assess its color. It will be noticed a strong and intense ruby red color and a pretty low transparency. Also the nuance will show the same color, which can be observed at edge of the liquid mass, towards the opening of the glass. Let's now pass to the observation of the second wine of our comparative tasting: Vinicola Savese's Primitivo di Manduria Tradizione del Nonno. Also in this case the color is characterized by an intense ruby red color and a pretty low transparency, whereas nuance begins to show a garnet red color. The color of the third wine - Soloperto's Primitivo di Manduria Patriarca - is not so different from the second wine. Also in this case it will be observed an intense ruby red color and a pretty low transparency, with red garnet nuances.

 Primitivo di Manduria, thanks to its good possibilities of evolution, develops with time an interesting olfactory profile, where the typical smells of fruit and flowers join pretty complex aromatic sensations. During its youth, Primitivo di Manduria expresses its full character of fruits and flowers. Black cherry, plum and blackberry are the most typical fruit qualities of Primitivo di Manduria, whereas violet - also dried - is the most frequent flower aroma. Fruit sensations of Primitivo di Manduria, after some years, turn into sensations of jams, a quality which can also be frequently found in young wines. With time in Primitivo di Manduria can be perceived complex aromatic qualities, also given by the aging in cask or barrique. With time can also be perceived aromas of cocoa, chocolate, tobacco, licorice and carob, as well as cinnamon, cinchona and black pepper, including balsamic sensations of menthol.

 We will start the evaluation of olfactory qualities of the wines of our comparative tasting from Accademia dei Racemi's Primitivo di Manduria Zinfandel Sinfarosa. By holding the glass in vertical position and without swirling, we will proceed with the first smell in order to evaluate opening aromas, that is the “lighter” olfactory sensations which can easily volatilize with a small quantity of oxygen. To the nose will be perceived clean and intense aromas of black cherry, plum and blackberry, three aromatic qualities among the most representative ones in Primitivo. Let's now proceed with swirling the glass, in order to favor the development of aromas thanks to the higher oxygenation and that will favor the perception of “higher” aromatic qualities which will complete the olfactory profile of this Primitivo di Manduria. From the glass will emerge aromas of violet and blueberry, to which will follow complex aromas of vanilla, licorice, cocoa, tobacco and hints of black pepper, including the balsamic touch of menthol.

 Let's now pass to the olfactory evaluation of the second wine of our comparative tasting: Vinicola Savese's Primitivo di Manduria Tradizione del Nonno. The opening of this wine will give the nose intense and clean aromas of plum, blackberry and black cherry, identifying qualities of Primitivo. After having swirled the glass, we will proceed with the second smell in order to complete the olfactory profile of this wine. From the glass will be appreciated aromas of dried violet, tamarind, carob, tobacco, vanilla, licorice, mace and the pleasing balsamic touch of menthol. The opening of the third wine - Soloperto's Primitivo di Manduria Patriarca - offers to the nose ripe fruit aromas of plum jam, blackberry jam and black cherry jam. The second smell, done after having swirled the glass, will complete the olfactory profile of the third wine with aromas of carob, blueberry jam, licorice, vanilla and hints of star anise as well as the pleasing balsamic touch of menthol.

 Primitivo di Manduria, thanks to the qualities of the grape with which it is produced, is a wine generally characterized by a good body, most of the times robust and - also thanks to the sun of Apulia - with pretty high volumes of alcohol and which can sometimes be greater than 15%. Primitivo is a grape with a good content in polyphenolic substances, a quality that, besides giving body to the wine, also gives a certain astringency. The aging in wood of Primitivo, both in cask or barrique, allows the wines produced with this grape to smooth their harshness, while increasing roundness, a quality which is also increased by alcohol. Because of the high content of sugar found in this grape, sometimes in Primitivo di Manduria can also be found non fermented residual sugar and which gives the wine both a slight sweetness as well as an increased roundness.

 The first wine of which we will evaluate taste is Accademia dei Racemi's Primitivo di Manduria Zinfandel Sinfarosa. The attack of this Primitivo has an appreciable astringency of tannins and a good body, qualities which are well balanced by alcohol and roundness. Let's now pass to the evaluation of the second wine, Vinicola Savese's Primitivo di Manduria Tradizione del Nonno. The attack of this Primitivo is definitely tannic with a full body, sensations which are contrasted by a strong roundness and a higher alcoholic sensation, in this wine being of 16%. It should also be noticed the difference on the impact of wood compared to the previous wine. We will now proceed with the third wine of the comparative tasting, Soloperto's Primitivo di Manduria Patriarca, offering to the mouth a pleasing smooth attack and tannins, despite they are well perceivable, are characterized by a good ripeness while giving the wine a round character. The body of this Primitivo is evidently robust and it should be noticed, as opposed to the previous wines, the flavors of fruits resembling jams.

 The structure and alcoholic volume probably are the two most evident qualities of Primitivo di Manduria at tasting, qualities which are pretty evident also in the wines of our comparative tasting. The finish of Accademia dei Racemi's Primitivo di Manduria Zinfandel Sinfarosa is persistent with flavors of black cherry, blackberry and plum, the three most typical fruity qualities of Primitivo. The finish of the second wine - Vinicola Savese's Primitivo di Manduria Tradizione del Nonno - is persistent with flavors of black cherry, plum and blackberry, just like the previous wine. Also the finish of the third wine, Soloperto's Primitivo di Manduria Patriarca, is persistent, however in this case the flavors perceived in the mouth are riper and resembling blackberry jam, plum jam and black cherry jam. Besides the evident body which can be perceived in the mouth after having swallowed the sample, it should also be noticed the pleasing sensation of roundness, in particular in the last two wines.

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