Primitivo and Negroamaro from Puglia, blended for Cantine San Marzano's 50th anniversary. Twelve months in French oak build a full-bodied, soft red of prune, vanilla and licorice. A top-rated southern Italian red on Vivino for braised meat and game.
Twelve months in French oak shape this Primitivo and Negroamaro blend, giving prune and red jam over vanilla and licorice. Across roughly 5,000 Vivino reviews the most-cited notes are oak, vanilla and chocolate, then plum and blackberry.
Ripe and oak-sweet: prune and red jam meet vanilla and licorice, the signature the producer gives this blend. Twelve months in French oak push the vanilla, chocolate and toast that Vivino drinkers cite most, lifted by old-vine Primitivo from the Sessantanni Valley.
Blackberry
Cherry
Plum
Prune
Leather
Oak
Liquorice
Vanilla
ChocolateFull-bodied and soft, with the warmth of 14.5% behind plum and blackberry fruit. Negroamaro brings a faint savoury, leathery edge while Primitivo carries the appassimento-ripe sweetness; acidity is gentle and the tannin is round rather than gripping.
Long and warm, closing on licorice, dried fig and the sweet spice of French oak rather than firm grip.
A non-vintage cuvee built for Cantine San Marzano's 50th anniversary, sitting just below the old-vine Sessantanni in the range. Vivino rates it 4.3 from roughly 5,000 reviews and placed the 2019 in the top 1% of all wines; one for drinkers who love bold, oak-sweet southern reds, and the wine Luca Maroni twice called Italy's best red.
Three UK retailers currently list the wine between about 22 and 28 pounds a bottle, in standard 750ml format. Stock moves between merchants, so the live table below is the place to compare price and availability.
Six dimensions score how this Puglian blend performs for food, value, beginners, cellaring, everyday drinking and special occasions, weighted to its soft, oak-aged, low-£20s profile.
At about 22 to 28 pounds for an oak-aged blend that Luca Maroni named Italy's best red at 98 points, it sits well below comparably decorated reds.
Ripe, soft and oak-sweet with no austere tannin or sharp acidity, it is an easy, classic southern-Italian style for newer drinkers.
Full-bodied and soft with low acidity, it is a specialist for rich red meat, game and aged cheese rather than an all-round match for fish, vegetables or chilli heat.
An award-laden anniversary cuvee that gives generously at the table, though it lacks the top-tier denomination prestige of a DOCG occasion wine.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
Compare tracked offers from verified retailers at a glance. Stock is shown only where the retailer exposes it. Logos, sale pricing, and the strongest offer are surfaced first.
Collezione Cinquanta carries no harvest year: Cantine San Marzano launched it for its 50th anniversary as a non-vintage cuvee assembled for a consistent house style rather than a single growing season.
A non-vintage Salento blend assembled for a consistent house style rather than a single harvest. The current release drinks well now through about 2027 (Tannico), showing ripe, oak-softened fruit; there is no cellaring upside, so open it young.
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.
Dishes that complement this wine
This is a full-bodied, low-acid red with soft, ripe tannin, so it leans to rich red meat rather than light or acidic plates. Vivino's drinkers back that up, pairing it most with beef, lamb, veal and game.
The wine's full body and soft, ripe tannin match the weight of slow-braised meat, while 12 months of French oak echo the caramelised, marrow-rich sauces. Low acidity keeps it comfortable against long-cooked, fatty dishes.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Agnello Ragu Lucano · Ossobuco alla Milanese · More pairings →
Ripe tannin and 14.5% warmth cut through the fat and char of a grilled steak, and the oak-sweet dark fruit flatters a crust of Maillard browning. Body meets body, so the wine is not flattened by the meat.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Ribeye steak · Sirloin steak · More pairings →
Lamb's protein and fat soften the wine's already-round tannin, letting the prune and licorice come forward. The soft structure suits roast joints better than a tight, high-tannin red would.
Try with: Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce · Leg of lamb · Rack of lamb · More pairings →
The dried-fruit and licorice aromatics bridge to the savoury, gamey character of venison and duck. Soft tannin and ripe fruit balance the lean, iron-rich meat without drying the palate.
Try with: Venison Stew · Roast Duck · Duck breast · More pairings →
Ripe, oak-sweet fruit and soft tannin balance the salt and fat of aged sheep's cheese, a classic southern Italian match for a big Primitivo-led red. Best with hard, mature cheeses rather than fresh or blue styles.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Cheese board
At 14.5% the alcohol amplifies chilli heat, turning spicy dishes harsh, and the oak-sweet fruit clashes with sweet-sour and heavily sugared sauces. Reach for an aromatic Falanghina or a lighter Sicilian Frappato with these plates instead.
Skip with: Crispy chilli beef · Szechuan beef · Sweet and sour pork · Lamb bhuna · Pairing guide →
As a non-vintage blend aged before release, it is built to drink on purchase. The current release shows well now through about 2027 (Tannico), with no meaningful upside to cellaring it further.
Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
A non-vintage Vino d'Italia aged before release with no ageing mandate and a drink window to about 2027, so there is little reason to lay it down.
£22.37 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 7 Jun 2026, 15:46 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumOur 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 · MediumA blend of Primitivo and Negroamaro, the two native red grapes of Salento in Puglia. Cantine San Marzano draws the Primitivo from old bush vines in its Sessantanni Valley and the Negroamaro from old Salento vineyards.
It was created in 2012 for the 50th anniversary of Cantine San Marzano (founded 1962) and is assembled as a non-vintage cuvee for consistency, so no single harvest year appears on the label. It is classified as Vino Rosso d'Italia rather than a DOC or DOCG.
Full-bodied and soft, with prune and red jam, vanilla and licorice from 12 months in French oak. Vivino drinkers most often note oak, vanilla and chocolate, then plum and blackberry, over a warm 14.5% frame.
Braised beef, southern lamb ragu, chargrilled steak, game and aged pecorino. The wine's body and soft, ripe tannin stand up to rich red meat, while its oak-sweet fruit flatters slow-cooked sauces.
At around 22 to 28 pounds it is strong value for an award magnet that Luca Maroni named Italy's best red at 98 points. The current release drinks well now through about 2027; there is no cellaring upside, so open it young.
3 retailers
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£27.58
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£15.00
Varvaglione
2 retailers
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£18.00
2 retailers
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£28.99
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