SAVESE

The Pichierri family vineyards are located in the region of Puglia, in the area known as Sava. Situated on the Salento peninsula, Italy’s boot heel, Sava is high on the instep on a gentle rise known as the Murge Tarantine. Here, where the soil is red, dotted by white limestone and the hills are low and the land is open, stand the vines of the Primitivo grape. The midday sun is scorching, due to the close proximity to North Africa, but microclimate variations are created by air currents crossing from the Adriatic to the interior Ionian Sea. The earliest knowledge of this varietal is that it originated in Greece. It is not known exactly how or when this plant was transported into Italy, but the history of this grape in Italy dates back many centuries. In the 17th century it is known that the Benedictine monks named the varietal “Primitivo” because of its precociousness (early maturity of the grape) in this zone. These vines stand poetically short and stocky, like ancient gnomes with their arms stretched up to the sky to bask in the heat of the sun. The grapes are harvested at full ripeness and fermentation begins with skin contact held to three days to maximize color extraction but limit harsh tannins. The wine is aged to maturity in large containers and then bottled

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