I had this brilliant idea to try a red with fettucine bolognese this past weekend, thinking a red could go with this dish, too. I decided to try this Primitivo I'd picked up at MacArthur Beverages about a month or so ago. It did not work.

Perhaps Primitivo was not meant to go with bolognese, or maybe this wine was just bad, but it just was not at all a good pairing, rather lousy in fact. I tasted this in a really creddy wine glass, too, maybe that contributed to the bad experience.

light dark to medium dark color. The nose had heavy acetone and woody notes. Upon tasting, this was an extremely acidic wine that had no balance. What fruit that was in there was shoved aside by the unexpected tannins as well as more acetone and wood (and not nice wood at that, maybe lumber is a better term). I got a sense of petrol and maybe some tar. The finish was even worse, a real bleah finish leaving a nasty aftertaste. This is my first lousy experience with Primitivo. Usually I pair a primitivo with a heartier dish like sausage. which can help mellow out a Primitivo to the point that it makes a really nice pairing. But, I do not think the best sausage in the world could make this wine any better.

This rates a lousy 76 points in the TJ book

TJ,

Try a Chianti next time. If you prefer a fuller red, however, a Valpolicella Ripasso would be a better bet as it offers more body than a standard Valpolicella (sort of in between a Valpo and an Amarone).