1 items £44.00
If you're curious about Primitivo and wondering where to begin, San Marzano Il Pumo Primitivo is one of the most welcoming introductions we can recommend. Ripe cherry, juicy plum and dark damson combine with soft tannins, gentle spice and enough freshness to keep the wine smooth and generous without feeling heavy.
Maturation in stainless steel rather than oak keeps the fruit clear and vibrant. The result is an approachable Puglian red that offers genuine regional character, dependable quality and excellent value.
Merchant's Tip
If someone wants to try a good Italian red without spending too much, Il Pumo Primitivo is often where we begin. It is reliably smooth and generous, but fresher and less heavily oaked than many people expect from the grape.
Appearance: Deep ruby red with youthful violet reflections.
Nose: Generous aromas of ripe plum and cherry with Mediterranean herbs and gentle spice.
Palate: Full-bodied, soft and fruit-driven, with juicy plum and cherry supported by smooth tannins and enough freshness to keep the wine balanced and easy to drink.
Finish: Warm and smooth, with lingering ripe fruit, Mediterranean herbs and delicate spice.
Choose Il Pumo if you enjoy smooth, fruit-led reds such as Merlot, softer Malbec, easy-going Australian Shiraz or modern Spanish reds.
It is especially well suited to anyone trying Primitivo for the first time, or to customers who enjoy the grape's ripe fruit but don't necessarily want the greater concentration and oak found in many premium examples.
If you already know that you enjoy Primitivo and are looking for greater concentration, more oak or a more structured expression, you may prefer to explore further within our Primitivo range.
Il Pumo is made entirely from Primitivo grown around San Marzano in Salento, approximately 100 metres above sea level. The vines are espalier trained and grow in shallow, clay-rich soils with a significant presence of rock.
The grapes are harvested during the first week of September. San Marzano then uses approximately ten days of temperature-controlled maceration and alcoholic fermentation with selected yeasts.
Crucially, Il Pumo is matured entirely in stainless steel rather than oak. That preserves the ripe plum and cherry fruit while allowing the grape's Mediterranean herbs and gentle spice to remain clear, without adding vanilla, toast or additional weight from barrel ageing.
The result is a particularly useful introduction to Primitivo: generous enough to demonstrate why the grape is so popular, but fresh, uncomplicated and approachable enough to work as an everyday red.
Il Pumo works particularly well with hearty pasta dishes, pizza, grilled and roast meats, barbecue food, game and hard cheeses.
Serve at around 16–18°C. If the bottle has been stored in a warm room, a short spell in the fridge before opening will help preserve its freshness. It does not require decanting.
For broader regional pairing advice, read our What Food Goes with Puglia Wine? guide.
Il Pumo has a very useful place in our Primitivo range. It's one of the bottles we'd choose when somebody wants to discover what Primitivo is about without spending heavily or beginning with a powerful, oak-aged example.
The ripe plum and cherry give it the generous fruit people expect from the grape, while stainless-steel maturation keeps the wine fresh, straightforward and easy to enjoy.
If you're looking for a complex, oak-aged premium Primitivo, we'd look further up the range. But if the question is simply, “I'd like to try Primitivo — where should I start?”, Il Pumo is a very easy recommendation.
If you like the idea of Primitivo but aren't sure Il Pumo is the right bottle, browse our Primitivo wines to compare other styles and price points.
If you'd like to stay with the producer, browse our San Marzano wines.
If you're not yet sure which style of Primitivo suits you, read our Should You Buy Primitivo? guide.
We can ship your order to all UK mainland addresses, usually on a next day delivery.
Our shipping fee is typically £5.95 for a single item order, and a maximum of £7.50 for all other orders. Delivery fees are calculated during check-out.
If your delivery address is local, delivery is free, delivered on the same day you order. Alternatively, you can collect it from our shop.
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