WineIreland

Ogio Primitivo 2008

A good buy gets even better!  Rush off to Tesco and grab yourself a good few bottles of this lovely wine before they're all gone.   At the current sale price of €5.99 it's an absolute steal.

As it so happened, I tasted a number of very, very good Southern Italian wines during the week.  Including a venerable and still remarkably sprightly Duca d'Aragona 1989, Candido's flagship wine, and one of Puglia's finest.  Not the best week for trying a Puglian wine selling for not much more than a fiver.

The Ogio came through with flying colours.  I did not feel that I was plumbing the depths of recession and despair in opening such a humbly priced wine.  Far from it: the Ogio has real class an would give excellent account of itself even when not discounted.  But why wait?

It is dark and sweet-fruited on the nose.  The warmth of the South beckons, with a welcoming waft of something cool to bring freshness to its sun-baked red fruit. (Menthol? Spearmint? My notes are a bit vague on the details...)  There's a good bit of treacle toffee in there as well, adding depth and a solid bass thump to the mix, if you will pardon my horrible hotchpotch of metaphors.

On the palate, it is equally deep, full and fruity.  Dark berries, black cherry and chocolate.  Clove and a twist of black pepper.  I swear I didn't get this from the bottle—which helpfully mentions the cherries, chocolate and cloves, just in case you thought you were imagining things.

It is a balanced wine, coming in at a civilised 13% alcohol—especially so for a region that can be quite hot—and nicely structured, with gently grippy tannins and refreshing acidity.

The Ogio has a slightly bitter finish (pretty much par for the course with many Italian wines: you enjoy it, like a good coffee after the meal, or you hate it), and it is quite long, ending with a spicy twist.  It will do well with dishes that are not overly acidic or too creamy or buttery.  Italian, please!

€5.99, On sale at Tesco

  Recommended
  (Bronze)