In another era, bonfires would dot the nighttime landscape of Puglia during cooler months. They represented an essential convivial moment for the people who inhabit this land: As it lit up the night sky, the bonfire was a way for them to come together and socialize, to keep each other warm, and to share a glass of wine and a bit of food on a winter evening.

Le Passanti Primitivo, made from a selection of top fruit from one of our best vineyards, is named after those traditional bonfires because the wine itself is a nod to one of the grandest traditions of Pugliese winemaking. While Primitivo grown in Salento on the Adriatic side of Pugliese peninsula makes for light, fresh, youthful wines, the Primitivo grown on the Ionian coast — the spiritual home of Primitivo — is intensely rich in color and flavor. Thanks to the setting sun of the west, the berries on these vines achieve excellent ripeness. But the proximity to the sea (literally a stone’s throw away) also provides the ventilation needed to maintain the freshness and vibrancy. The resulting wines have remarkable depth and nuance.

The grapes for this benchmark, cru-designate expression of Primitivo are sourced from one western Puglia’s top vineyards.