Apulia and Piedmont are two distant regions and very different one from each other. The former, with its remarkable length, represents the “heel of Italy”, it is one of the most sunny regions of the country and it is affected by the influence of seas from which it is surrounded. Piedmont is in the other side of Italy, in a very different territory, facing the Alps and without reaching any sea. Both regions have a remarkable richness in grapes and wines - no region in Italy makes an exception in this - each having its own wine glories, equally great and extraordinary. Such as Primitivo and Barbera, the two grapes protagonists of our tasting by contrast, two opposed viticultural and enological expressions to interpret a wine. Important protagonists in their respective lands, both have a long and important history in the wine scene of Italy, giving wines of quite distant characters.

 Primitivo is capable of giving wines of good and full body, frequently characterized by good roundness and a pretty high content in alcohol. Barbera is very different, mainly known for its typical acidity, a well appreciated quality by its lovers. The two varieties have a good wine making versatility, in particular Primitivo which is also used for making robust sweet wines by using dried grapes. For the sake of truth, it should be said Barbera too, although marginally, is used for the production of sweet wines. Barbera and Primitivo are produced both in inert containers and those made of wood, including the barrique, therefore proving - in both cases - a good versatility in wine making. They however are two grapes and wines distant one from each other, enological expressions even opposed, with differences that - we will see - can be found in every aspect of sensorial tasting.

 The history of Primitivo is very interesting and only in recent times they have been successful in tracing its origin. A grape found in Apulia since a very long time, Primitivo takes its name from the characteristic of ripening before other varieties, and for this reason it is also called primaticcio and primativo (”prima” means before in Italian). The research on Primitivo origin begins at the end of the 1960s when they suspected some analogies with Zinfandel, a variety considered at those times indigenous to the United States of America and widely cultivated in California. Research done on DNA allowed in fact to discover Primitivo and Zinfandel were the same grape, although it was not possible to understand their origin. Later research allowed them to discover this grape had a certain connection with Plavac Mali grape, found in Croatia, and they believed it was the same variety. Subsequent researches allowed them to discover Primitivo - and therefore Zinfandel - is analogous to Crljenak Kaštelanski, a red berried grape found in Dalmatia.

 For this reason, some Primitivo producers write Zinfandel in the labels of their wines in order to have better commercial chances in the United States of America. It is however Primitivo and, sometimes, wines produced with this grape and labeled as Zinfandel are also found in the Italian market. Variety of a strong character, it is capable of giving wines with a good body and color, a quality that, in past times, made this grape to be mainly used in wines of other areas in order to give them more body and color. Primitivo is cultivated in many areas of Apulia and having in Manduria - in province of Taranto - its most famous and best territory and here it is also produced as a sweet style. This variety is also found, although marginally if compared to Apulia, in Campania and Abruzzo regions. Primitivo, which wines usually have a quite high alcohol content, is mainly vinified in cask, a technique giving more roundness to the wine while smoothing the intensity of tannins.

 Barbera is the most cultivated variety of Piedmont and it is one of the most common grapes in Italy as it is also found in other regions of the country. Barbera, along with Sangiovese and Montepulciano, is in fact among the most cultivated varieties in Italy and it is used in countless wines, both alone and blended to other grapes. It is believed Barbera originated from the Monferrato area, in Piedmont, and present in this territory since a very long time. Barbera has been a quite valued and appreciated grape of the past, until 1986 when it became sadly famous because of the well known and irresponsible Italian methanol scandal. This regrettable and deplorable event caused the intoxication of many people, with irreversible effects in many cases, including death. It will take all the obstinacy and determination of respectable and proud producers to give back to Barbera its dignity and prestige, in particular Giacomo Bologna, also known as Braida. It will in fact be this famous producer from Rocchetta Tanaro, in province of Asti, to commit himself to his Barbera and making of it one of the most successful and great grapes of Italy known everywhere in the world.

Color and transparency of Barbera d'Asti

 Barbera, besides being widely cultivated in Piedmont and in many regions of Italy, is also cultivated in other viticultural areas of the world, such as California and Argentina. A grape having a strong acidity, Barbera it is not particularly rich in polyphenols, making wines of crisp agreeableness and moderate astringency. The Piedmontese red grape proved with time interesting wine making versatility, as well as proving to be well suited for the production of different styles, including pleasing slightly sparkling wines. Barbera is now very successful in the world, becoming one of the grapes part of the Olympus of Bacchus during the 1990s, when drastic viticultural and wine making changes took place all over Italy. These changes, characterized by the research for quality and therefore the experimentation of new and modern wine making techniques, have allowed Barbera to be reevaluated even in the vinification in cask. Widely found in Piedmont, Barbera is a grape present in many denomitations of the region and, in particular, Asti and Nizza Monferrato, today recognized as Denominazione d'Origine Controllata e Garantita areas. (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin)

 Our tasting by contrast will examine a Primitivo di Manduria and a Barbera d'Asti. These two wines will let us understand their remarkable differences, mainly expressed by the roundness and astringency in the first case, finesse and crispness in the second. Barbera is cultivated in many areas of Piedmont and each of them gives this grape characteristics strongly affected by soil and territory. As opposed to Barbera wines from other areas of Piedmont, the one produced in Asti is in fact characterized by a higher finesse and elegance. Something completely different, for example, in those made in Alba having a different composition of soil and characteristics of the territory, Barbera wines here are more robust and full bodied. We will taste two wines having no more than three year of aging and vinified in cask, therefore ensuring a good balance between tertiary qualities and characteristics of the grapes. Wines will be served in two tasting glasses at a temperature of 18 °C (65 °F).

 Let's pour the two wines in their respective tasting glasses and start the first part, the one about appearance evaluation. The first wine we will observe is Primitivo di Manduria. Let's tilt the glass over a white surface - a napkin or a sheet of paper will be enough - in order to assess the color at the base. We will observe an intense ruby red color, sometimes deep, and a low transparency: it will in fact be quite difficult to see an object behind the glass. Nuances of the color, observed at the edge towards the opening of the glass, will show an intense ruby red hue. Let's now pass to the evaluation of Barbera d'Asti. The color of this wine shows to the eyes of the taster an intense and brilliant ruby red color, while revealing a higher transparency than Primitivo di Manduria. Nuance of Barbera d'Asti confirms a brilliant ruby red hue. Let's now put the tilted glasses close one to each other and compare both wines in order to understand differences in color and transparency.

 Olfactory profiles of Primitivo and Barbera mainly express aromas of wild berries. The famous grape from Apulia mainly expresses aromas recalling black berried berries, whereas Barbera is more directly associated to red berries. In both grapes will also be perceived aromas recalling flowers, in particular violet. In Primitivo will be mainly perceived aromas of black cherry, plum and blackberry, whereas in Barbera will be cherry, raspberry and plum, also blackberry will be perceived sometimes. Both grapes offer a good versatility in the vinification in wood containers, a technique enriching the olfactory profiles of both wines with a higher complexity. Primitivo and Barbera, according to viticultural and wine making techniques, are capable of making wines with a good longevity and excellent chances of evolution. With time, these two varieties - provided they are kept in very good conditions - can in fact enrich their aromas with very complex sensations, offering an excellent case study to the nose of the taster.

 The first wine of which we will evaluate the olfactory profile is Barbera d'Asti. Let's hold the glass in vertical position and without swirling, then proceed with the first smell. To the nose are perceived aromas of cherry, raspberry and plum, followed by violet. Let's now swirl the glass in order to favor the development of aromas and, by tilting it, do a second smell. It will be perceived aromas recalling blackberry as well as sensations associated to wood, such as vanilla. Let's now pass to the evaluation of the opening of Primitivo di Manduria. The nose is evidently different and here it is perceived black cherry, plum and blackberry followed by violet, sometimes ever dried. After having swirled the glass, Primitivo completes its olfactory profile with blueberry, carob and sensations given by wood. Sometimes, in this wine, sensations of fruit can also get a character recalling jams. Let's now compare the two wines: in Primitivo we will notice a fuller and rounder olfactory profile than Barbera, in which will be perceived a more lively and crisp character.

 The gustatory analysis of the two wines let us continue the identification of differences in Primitivo di Manduria and Barbera d'Asti. Let's start this phase of the tasting by evaluating the Piedmontese wine. We will take a sip of Barbera d'Asti: the attack of this wine reveals the crisp character of this grape giving to the taste an evident acidic component, however very elegant. It should also be noticed the astringency in this wine, perceptible however not aggressive. In the mouth are perceived flavors of cherry, plum and raspberry, as well as the evident warm sensation of alcohol. The attack of Primitivo di Manduria is rounder and smoother than Barbera d'Asti, in which is also perceived a stronger astringency of tannins and a fuller body. In the wine from Apulia is also perceived a stronger effect of the alcohol, a characteristic also increasing the perception of roundness. The correspondence to the nose is very good: the perception of black cherry, blackberry and plum are dominant.

 The ending part of our tasting is about the final sensations perceived in the mouth and nose after having swallowed the wines. The finish of Barbera d'Asti has a good persistence, leaving in the mouth its typical flavors of fruits: in particular cherry, raspberry and blueberry. Crispness of acidity continues to be well perceived in the mouth after having swallowed the wine, leaving a sensation of pleasing elegance. The finish of Primitivo di Manduria is quite different from Barbera, also in this case having a good persistence. The sensation left in the mouth by the wine from Apulia is fuller and rounder, in which can also be perceived the burning effect of alcohol. It will also be perceived the typical flavors of this variety, in particular blackberry, plum and black cherry. According to a sensorial point of view, Primitivo and Barbera are two distant varieties, very different enological expressions however both capable of making wines of extraordinary and high quality.