Questions about Primitivo

Where was Primitivo born?

Primitivo got its name in Gioia del Colle, in the province of Bari. In the late eighteenth century the town's Primicerio, the canon Don Francesco Filippo Indellicati, picked out from the vines grown haphazardly the one that ripened before all the others and called it primativo. With its cuttings he planted eight plots of vineyard in contrada Liponti: the first single-variety Primitivo vineyard for which there is historical evidence (Giuseppe Musci, Il Primativo di Gioia, 1919).

Since 2004 a stone stele placed by the town of Gioia del Colle has marked the spot. Today there is a Primitivo vineyard in contrada Liponti again: Vigna Liponti, which makes the wine Nascìddò from it.

Why is it called Primitivo?

The name comes from the Latin primativus: the grape ripens between late August and the first half of September, before the other grapes. It buds late, so it escapes spring frosts, and it is harvested before the autumn rains. Primativo became primaticcio and then Primitivo.

Are Primitivo and Zinfandel the same grape?

Yes. DNA analysis has shown that Apulian Primitivo, California Zinfandel and Croatian Crljenak Kaštelanski (or Tribidrag) are the same grape variety, which reached Apulia from the eastern shore of the Adriatic.

The name Primitivo, however, was born in Gioia del Colle: here the variety was selected, named and grown on its own for the first time. From here it spread around Bari and, in the late nineteenth century, as far as Manduria and the Taranto area.

What is Gioia del Colle DOC Primitivo?

It is the protected designation of origin for Primitivo made around Gioia del Colle, in the Murgia hills of the province of Bari: the land where the grape got its name. It should not be confused with Primitivo di Manduria, made in the province of Taranto, where Primitivo arrived in the late nineteenth century.

What is Nascìddò?

Nascìddò is the wine of Vigna Liponti: a Gioia del Colle DOC Primitivo, 100% Primitivo, from one hectare of red soil over karst limestone at 365 metres, in contrada Liponti. The grapes are picked by hand in mid-September. The first vintage is 2017.

In the dialect of Gioia the name means “born here”: the wine carries in its name the place where Primitivo was born.

Which vintages are there and how were they rated?

The vintages of Nascìddò on sale, with the ratings they received:

• 2023, 3,500 bottles produced.
• 2019, 97/100 (DoctorWine, Guida essenziale ai vini d'Italia 2022), 5,000 bottles produced.
• 2017, 96/100 (DoctorWine, Guida essenziale ai vini d'Italia 2021), 5,000 bottles produced.

Sold-out vintages, with their ratings:

• 2021, 97/100 (DoctorWine, Guida essenziale ai vini d'Italia 2025).
• 2020 Riserva, 98/100 (DoctorWine, Guida essenziale ai vini d'Italia 2024).

Sold out: 2020, 2021, 2022. Tasting notes and winemaking for each vintage are on the Nascìddò page.

Who makes Nascìddò?

Vigna Liponti di Stefania Benagiano, in Gioia del Colle. The land has belonged to the Benagiano family since the early twentieth century. In 2010 Vincenzo Benagiano replanted Primitivo there using only certified vines, and since 2018 the vineyard has been run by his daughter Stefania.

Where can I buy Nascìddò?

On this website, on the Nascìddò page. We ship within Italy and, on request, to other countries: for orders from abroad the winery works out shipping, duties and taxes and replies with the total.