Primaterra Primitivo IGT

Grape: primitivo

Region: Puglia, Southern Italy

Vintage: 2010

Price: $9.99

In the glass: Primaterra Primitivo wine, from the excellent and memorable 2010 vintage, is a deep blackish-red color with a solid, dense garnet core going out into a pinkish-red rim definition and ultrahigh viscosity.

On the nose: There is a nice amount of black Morrello cherry juice, crushed boysenberries, loganberry, aniseed, graphite, sap, earth-driven minerals and slight volatile acidity right off the bat, followed by a soft touch of red flowers and hints of beeswax.

On the palate: There is nicely rounded and powerful black plum fruit with some cherry liqueur character, black licorice, soft, supple tannins that stretch through the midpalate and into a nice, lengthy finish that somewhat belies the 13.5 percent alcohol stated on the bottle, but it has great staying power and nothing but pleasantries at the end.

Odds and ends: It was time to return to the "heel" of Italy to find another great little primitivo wine. The primitivo grape variety is considered the father of zinfandel and is a sturdy and hardy sort that produces big-time full-bodied wines that can be enjoyed with a variety of hearty foods, much like the Italians of the southern regions like to eat. The label sports a hand-drawn image of a chicken and an egg, but what that refers to I am not sure, although tongue-in-cheek I’m tempted to say that it’s a sort of chicken and egg situation. Regardless, the wine is great, especially for less than $10, so I highly recommend you try it, especially if you’re grilling outdoors and need a good sturdy glass of red with the steaks. Drink it now through 2014.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.