The 2024 Gran Maestro Primitivo di Manduria caught my eye with a big, shiny 98-point sticker on the front. Ninety-eight! For a moment, I think perhaps I have discovered treasure hiding at Grocery Outlet. Then I turn the bottle around and read the back label. Or try to read it. Apparently, something has been lost in translation from Italian, because I have no idea what the hell they are talking about. Fine. I do not need a translator. We are here to drink the wine. I need a corkscrew.
First sip…hmm. This is not what I expect. Many red blends and Italian-style reds can taste like somebody accidentally poured grape jam into the barrel. But this one? Great puckeryishness on the finish, nice fruit, a little spice, and not sweet. Now we are talking! The wine has character, a proper finish, and no syrupy nonsense. I take another glass to confirm my findings. Then another, because perhaps I am hallucinating. Scientific method, you understand. By this point, the 98 sticker is beginning to look less like marketing nonsense and more like a reasonable suggestion. For dinner, I brought out the leftover meat and cheese board from the party. Wine meets Brie cheese, wine meets sliced meats of questionable origin, and everybody gets along beautifully. Bravo! Even the mystery salami seemed to improve its reputation.
At $12.99, this is on the expensive side for Grocery Outlet, where we go to find bargains, not refinance the house. The label claims it normally sells for $48, which seems a little ambitious. For forty-eight dollars, I expect someone to serve it to me while explaining the wine’s childhood and playing classical music. But for $12.99? Now we have a deal. I grabbed a few more bottles before somebody else discovered my little secret. Very good wine, excellent puckeryishness, no annoying sweetness. The Italian back label translation remains a mystery, but sometimes you do not need to understand the story. You just need another glass.
