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Primitivo is a dark-skinned grape known for producing inky, tannic wines.

Albano Antonio Carrisi, better known as Al Bano, is an Italian recording artist, actor, and winemaker. In 2016, he was awarded Albanian citizenship due to his close ties with the country.

A classic Primitivo wine is high in both alcohol and tannins, intensely flavored and deeply colored. A certain bitterness is often found in Primitivo which, combined with its mouth-puckering tannins, means that it needs a few years in either bottle or barrel.

Primitivo has endured something of a rollercoaster ride in the past few decades. In the 1990s, the variety was at its lowest ebb for a long time. The EU’s vine pull schemes had seen thousands of acres of Primitivo vines ripped out of the ground.

Being relatively difficult to manage in the vineyard, Primitivo suffered worse than many other varieties.

But across the Atlantic Zinfandel was booming, which doubtless contributed to Primitivo’s new lease of life. The new-look Primitivo that soon began to emerge was no longer just a blending variety, it was now the historic grape behind southern Italy’s flagship wines.