A soft, juicy Primitivo made for the Italian table

Burdi is the most easy-going Primitivo in the Duca Carlo Guarini collection ripe, smooth and generous, but never excessively heavy.

Made from 100% Primitivo grown in the family’s certified-organic vineyards in Salento, it offers dark berries, plum, Mediterranean herbs and soft tannins in a wonderfully approachable style.

A family farming in Salento since 1114

The Guarini family’s connection to Puglia stretches back more than 900 years. In 1114, Accardo Guarini, Count of Valesio, was already cultivating vines at the family’s Pìutri estate overlooking the Adriatic Sea between Lecce and Brindisi. Twenty-five generations later, the family continues to farm in the same corner of Salento.

Today, Duca Carlo Guarini owns approximately 700 hectares of agricultural land, including 70 hectares of vineyards and 260 hectares of olive groves. Alongside wine and extra-virgin olive oil, the estate produces grains, legumes, vegetables and traditional Puglian preserves.

The family considers itself not simply a landowner, but a guardian of Puglia’s agricultural heritage preserving native grapes while continuing to experiment and improve in the vineyard and cellar. 

Why Primitivo matters to the Guarini family

Primitivo is one of Puglia’s most important native red grapes. Its name comes from its tendency to ripen early primitivore ferring to the “first” grapes harvested, usually from late August into early September.

The Guarini family was among the early Puglian producers to champion Primitivo as a wine worthy of being bottled under its own name. At a time when much of the region’s wine was sold anonymously in bulk, the family proudly placed the grape variety on the label and helped give Primitivo its own identity.

Primitivo is genetically connected to California’s Zinfandel. Drinkers who enjoy rich Australian Shiraz may recognise its generous dark fruit, but Burdi is softer, less oaky and more relaxed in style.

The land of Salento

Salento forms the sun drenched heel of Italy’s boot, surrounded by the Adriatic and Ionian seas.The vineyards experience hot, dry summers, but cooling coastal breezes help moderate the heat and preserve balance in the grapes. The soils have a calcareous base with iron-rich topsoil, contributing both structure and a distinctive Mediterranean character.

The family’s vineyards are dry farmed, encouraging the vines to develop deeper roots and adapt naturally to Salento’s conditions.

Certified-organic farming

The Guarini family began converting its farming system to organic practices in 2005, and its wines have been organically certified since 2008.

Burdi is made from certified-organic, hand-harvested grapes. The vineyards are cultivated without relying on conventional synthetic treatments, with the family focusing on the health of the land, its workers and the people who ultimately drink the wine.

How is it made?

After hand harvesting, the grapes undergo a relatively short maceration of approximately five days on their skins.

This extracts Burdi’s vibrant ruby colour and ripe fruit while keeping the tannins soft and approachable. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts in temperature controlled stainless-steel tanks.

The stainless steel approach preserves Primitivo’s juicy fruit, freshness and Mediterranean character rather than adding obvious vanilla, toast or heavy oak flavours.

This makes Burdi very different from a powerful, heavily matured Primitivo. It is created for immediate pleasure and versatility at the table.

What does it taste like?

Intense ruby red in the glass, Burdi opens with ripe blackberry, blackcurrant, dark cherry and plum.

The fruit is joined by gentle notes of Mediterranean herbs, sweet spice and a subtle tropical suggestion of ripe pineapple.

The palate is medium bodied, juicy and soft, with generous dark fruit and mild, rounded tannins. Despite its ripe personality, the wine finishes dry, balanced and easy to drink.

There is warmth, but not excessive weight; richness, but not jamminess. This is Primitivo in its most welcoming form.