Why this wine matters
More than a famous label.
San Marzano describes it as the label that changed international perceptions of Puglian wine, giving the collection a genuinely recognisable southern Italian benchmark.
San Marzano · Manduria, Puglia
Sessantanni Primitivo di Manduria
Primitivo · 60-year vines · plum jam · tobacco · cocoa · rich
Sessantanni is one of Puglia’s best-known premium Primitivos and is made from alberello vines at least 60 years old.
Country
Italy
Region
Manduria, Puglia
Appellation
Primitivo di Manduria DOP
Grapes
Primitivo
Style
Red
Realistic spend
£25–£32
Budget band: £20–£35
Best moments
birthdayfathers daychristmasdinner partygift
A highly recognisable old-vine Primitivo for Christmas, birthdays and generous meat-led meals.
How it is made
The decisions behind the style.
The wine completes malolactic fermentation in steel and then spends about 12 months in French and American oak.
What does it taste like?
The shape of the wine.
Plum and cherry preserve meet spice and tobacco, followed by cocoa, coffee and vanilla on a full, soft palate with noble tannins.
Body5/5
Acidity2/5
Tannin4/5
Sweetness1/5
Oak influence4/5
Freshness2/5
Aroma5/5
Serve it well
Serve around 18°C.
If this wine were human…
The generous maximalist
If Sessantanni Primitivo di Manduria were human, it would be believes more layers can be better, provided every one of them earns its place.
substantialeasy-goingstrong-willedpolished
Does any of this sound suspiciously familiar?
Believes more layers can be better, provided every one of them earns its place. You can be patient for a surprisingly long time, provided the result is actually worth waiting for.
At dinner, you can rescue an awkward silence with one question and then let everyone else take the credit. Secretly, you are delighted when somebody else spots the detail you were hoping they would notice.
In short: believes more layers can be better, provided every one of them earns its place. primitivo energy, translated into a person.
Purely for fun — this is the wine’s fictional personality, not a psychological reading of yours.
What to eat with it
And the cheese?
No dead ends.
Start with this wine and move straight into cheese, or build a whole tasting around it.
Keep exploring
There are 365 more wines where this came from.
Research sources
This profile is researched against producer or similarly authoritative material. Vintage-specific details are kept separate from the permanent wine identity.