The Sophisticated Savage!

Well, not so savage, more primitive, or Primitivo I should say.  Last night I found myself at the store before going home from work looking for something to drink with dinner.  I was preparing a steak goulash with roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion, and beef stock to be served over a bed of blanched cabbage.  More so I just wanted to try out the new wine and food pairing application I just downloaded on my iPhone.  According to my little electronic somonie, there were several wines for my paring I could choose. I decided a bold and powerful red wine was what I should go for, per my preference to full bodied reds.   A "Primitivo" was what I was on the hunt for.
Tormaresco Puglia was what the wine specialist at the store suggested.  This is not a full Primitivo in the typical sense, but it is cultivated from the same region of Italy as Primitivo.  Typically I will drink a bottle of wine over the course of a week's time.  I like to try and experience new wines, which can make it tough when you are only one person facing a whole bottle.  I only wish they sold a few more 375ml bottles of variety for tasting.  So, I popped the cork on this wine and poured away.  Immediately I knew I was in for a ride as I poured the deep, dark, ruby liquid into a glass.  It was amazing to see, as I swirled the wine to develop the bouquet, just how well it coated the glass and gave it the look as though the wine bowl was made of rose quartz.
The first taste was a bit of a surprise.  It had a surprisingly acidic bite to it and bold/rich concentration of fruity flavors. Flavors of ripe cherry, clove, raspberry and plum with spice come to mind.  The typical Primitivo is very similar to Zinfandel, but more rustic. I would certainly say my iPhone somonie had some sound advice, and at around $12.00 a bottle it fit right into our wine price sweet spot ($9-$29). 
So the next time you are whipping up some lamb, pork, grilled beef/ribs, pastas, BBQ, or pizza, give this bottle a shot.  I think it was a nice and certainly strong move from the typical Cabernet S., Merlot, or Chianti.

Thanks for reading and wishing you best eating,
Bon Appétit!