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Ripe, full-bodied Puglia IGT Primitivo from winemaker Scipione Giuliani and 50-year-old vines. Black plum, chocolate and baking spice at 14.5%, with smooth tannins. A Decanter 90-point everyday red, exclusive to Laithwaites near 14 pounds.
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Il Papavero is Primitivo at full Puglian ripeness. Dark cherry and plum come first, then a clear oaky seam of chocolate and vanilla, with baking spice, raisin and clove over smooth tannins. Decanter judges scored the wine 90 points for its olive, chocolate and plum aromas.
Ripe and open, led by dark cherry and black plum. An oaky seam brings chocolate and vanilla, with baking spice and a lift of raisin behind. A savoury olive note sits alongside the chocolate and plum, the detail the Decanter judges picked out.
Black cherry
Blackberry
Plum
Raisin
Black pepper
Liquorice
Vanilla
ChocolateFull-bodied and rounded at 14.5%, with the faintly sweet, fruit-forward core Puglia gives Primitivo. Red and black fruit lead, then a clear chocolate and oak note. Tannins stay smooth rather than grippy.
Long, warm and satisfying, closing on chocolate, clove and dried fruit.
An approachable, ripe Puglian Primitivo, a well-liked everyday red that earns its 90-point Decanter score. Built for the everyday table, not the cellar.
You will only find Il Papavero through Laithwaites, where the Primitivo is one of the most reordered Italian reds in the range. This pure-Primitivo bottling is the fullest of the Papavero family, drawn from 50-year-old vines, and sells near 14 pounds. It took 90 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards, strong validation at this price.
Il Papavero is built for the midweek table: generous, ripe and food-friendly, with a Decanter 90-point medal and a sub-15-pound price that together make it strong everyday value. It is not a cellar wine or a special-occasion statement, and it does not pretend to be.
Built for the table. Full body and ripe fruit handle lamb, braised beef and aged pecorino with ease.
Made for midweek drinking rather than occasions. Generous, ready on release, and priced for the wine rack.
A 90-point Decanter red for around 14 pounds, and one of Laithwaites' most reordered Italian bottles. Strong for the money.
Ripe, soft-tannined and faintly sweet at 14.5%. A gentle, approachable way into Puglian Primitivo.
A friendly everyday red rather than a showpiece. Fine for a casual dinner, less so for a milestone.
No case for the cellar. Built ripe and forward for drinking within three years of the vintage.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.
A compact view of what the Puglia denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
Il Papavero is made for drinking young. The two current releases, 2024 and 2025, both sit at 14.5% and show the ripe, fruit-forward character Puglia gives Primitivo almost every year. There is no case for cellaring: enjoy either within three years of harvest, while the black fruit and chocolate notes are at their most generous.
The newest Il Papavero release, drawn from 50-year-old vines at 14.5%. A fruit-forward, early-drinking Primitivo with no need for the cellar; enjoy by 2029.
Puglia's warm Mediterranean climate ripens Primitivo fully most years, and this 2024 carries the ripe black fruit and 14.5% warmth of Scipione Giuliani's old-vine selection. Drink by 2028.
The newest Il Papavero release, drawn from 50-year-old vines at 14.5%. A fruit-forward, early-drinking Primitivo with no need for the cellar; enjoy by 2029.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
The label reads Puglia IGT, the broad regional indication that covers the whole of Italy's heel. That is a deliberate choice, not a limitation. It lets Scipione Giuliani select old-vine Primitivo from across Puglia rather than tie the wine to one appellation such as Primitivo di Manduria DOC. At IGT level the rules govern origin and grape, leaving vinification and ageing to the winemaker.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Puglia is in the IGT tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Puglia IGT is the region-wide label, so the grapes can come from anywhere in Puglia.
UK wine duty runs about 2.67 pounds a bottle in 2026, and 20% VAT sits on top. On a 14-pound wine, tax alone is roughly a third of the shelf price.
Fruit comes from 50-year-old vines that crop lightly. Lower yields per hectare raise the cost of grapes versus young, high-cropping vineyards.
Sourcing at the broad Puglia IGT level, rather than a single DOC such as Primitivo di Manduria, keeps grape costs in check and holds the price down.
As a Laithwaites-exclusive label there is no separate brand owner taking margin. Selling direct to members trims the usual distributor mark-up.
Il Papavero is one of Laithwaites' most reordered Italian reds. Steady, large volumes bring economies of scale that support the sub-15-pound price.
Dishes that go with this wine
At 14.5% with ripe, faintly sweet fruit and smooth tannins, Il Papavero leans towards big, savoury plates. It has the body for lamb ragu, mutton stew and braised beef, and enough fruit sweetness to cool the chilli in a Pizza Diavola. Aged pecorino is the natural cheese match. Steer it away from fiery, chilli-loaded food, which its alcohol only heats up.
The ripe tannin and 14.5% alcohol cut cleanly through the fat of a long-cooked lamb ragu, while the wine's dark plum fruit echoes the tomato-rich sauce.
Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · More pairings →
A full-bodied Primitivo at 14.5% has the weight to stand beside slow-braised mutton or beef, matching the depth of the meat without being flattened by it.
Try with: Spezzatino di pecora · More pairings →
The faintly sweet, ripe black-fruit core takes the sting out of the chilli and salami on a Pizza Diavola, where a drier, more tannic red would clash.
Try with: Pizza Diavola · More pairings →
Ripe fruit and a rounded, glyceric body balance the salt and crystalline bite of a mature pecorino, a classic southern Italian match for a ripe Primitivo.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · More pairings →
The wine's chocolate, clove and raisin notes bridge to the deep, spice-scented sauce of a Sunday braise.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · More pairings →
Keep Il Papavero to gentle spice. At 14.5% the alcohol amplifies capsaicin, so a fiery, chilli-loaded plate turns the wine hot and bitter rather than fruity.
Peak around 2027. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.
No case for the cellar. Built ripe and forward for drinking within three years of the vintage.
£13.99 for a 75cl bottle of the 2025, at Laithwaites, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 27 Oct 2026, 03:20 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighThe name on the label belongs to Laithwaites, a shop, not to a winery. Laithwaites names Scipione Giuliani as the winemaker. Laithwaites is the only UK shop we track that sells it, so there is no price comparison to make. How we tell estate, shop and brand labels apart.
Confidence · HighDrawn from published drinker ratings, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumIt is a Laithwaites-exclusive label made by fifth-generation Puglian winemaker Scipione Giuliani, who selects Primitivo from 50-year-old, low-yield vines across Puglia. There is no standalone estate; Il Papavero is a range built for Laithwaites.
Full-bodied and ripe, with black plum, dark cherry and chocolate leading into baking spice, raisin and clove, over smooth tannins and a long finish. Red and black fruit lead, with a distinct oaky, chocolate note behind.
14.5% by volume, typical of a fully ripe Puglian Primitivo. The warmth of Puglia pushes sugar levels high, so the wine carries generous alcohol and a rounded, faintly sweet fruit core.
The label sits at Puglia IGT, the broad regional indication, rather than the tighter Primitivo di Manduria DOC. That gives Scipione Giuliani freedom to select old-vine Primitivo from across Puglia rather than a single commune.
Rich, slow-cooked meat. Lamb ragu, mutton stew and braised beef match its full body, while its ripe fruit tames the chilli heat of a Pizza Diavola. Aged pecorino works too.
For an everyday red near 14 pounds it over-delivers: 90 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards and one of Laithwaites' most reordered Italian reds. It is built for drinking now, not cellaring.
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