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A Mano Primitivo 2003 How does an American end up in Apulia (and why does he stay?)," asks Mark Shannon as he begins to tell his story. Meeting this brilliant winemaker from California, you are struck by professionalism and personality alike: Mark’s drive, enthusiasm, creativity and expertise are hard to come by in a single individual! Needless to say, the impact of his sensational Apulian wine reflects the impact of the man. Called A•Mano ("hand-made"), and entirely hand-crafted from indigenous Primitivo grapes (the original source of Zinfandel, by the way...), this fruit-packed, food-friendly red expresses the region’s quality potential, and the reasons for owner/California winemaker Mark Shannon’s Apulian connection. These are best told by Mark himself: "Apulia (or Puglia, as it is known in Italian) is so easy to fall in love with: old, head-trained vineyards, a history of grape-growing in harmony with nature... Everything necessary for top-quality wines. I was compelled to stay. I have not seen another region of the world where the quality potential is so high. A•Mano comes from the heart of the Primitivo area, in the low hills east of Taranto. The region is an old sea bed, full of the fossils of clams, oysters and urchins. The altitude is around 30-60 meters above sea level (100-200 feet). Annual rainfall is 35 cm. (14 inches). The climate is classically Mediterranean, as Puglia (the ‘heel of the boot’) is a peninsula between the Adriatic and the Ionian seas."