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Bruno Verdi

Buttafuoco 2019

Price: $26.95
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Tasting notes

The cold pre-fermentative maceration and CO2-assisted cap-breaking technique pulls deep color and plum-driven concentration from Croatina without extracting harsh tannins, making this wine more approachable than its structure suggests. Barbera's bright acidity keeps it lively, and Uva Rara adds a violet-floral note that lifts the finish.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
PlumVioletCherryEarth
  • Style: Dry, medium-full bodied red; deep ruby-violet; dark fruit, violet flower, earthy mineral; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 65% Croatina, 25% Barbera, 10% Uva Rara; calcareous clay and marl hillside soils; Canneto Pavese and Castana, Pavia province
  • Winemaking: Hand-harvested; cold pre-fermentative maceration 6-7 days; 4-5 day fermentation with CO2-driven cap-breaking in cement; MLF in cement; up to 6 months in stainless steel
  • Serving: Serve at 61-64F; 20-30 minute decant recommended
  • Pairing: Braised lamb, beef stew, pork shoulder, porcini risotto, aged cheeses, tomato-based pasta
  • Similar To: For fans of Barbera d'Asti or Dolcetto who want more body and a darker fruit profile

Bruno Verdi's Buttafuoco is a blend of 65% Croatina, 25% Barbera, and 10% Uva Rara sourced from multiple parcels in the villages of Canneto Pavese and Castana in southern Lombardy's Oltrepo Pavese zone. The winery sits in the hamlet of Vergomberra within Canneto Pavese, on hillsides with calcareous clay and marl soils that drain well and add a savory mineral edge to the wines.

Grapes are harvested by hand and destemmed with a gentle crush. A cold pre-fermentative maceration of 6 to 7 days follows, with soft pump-overs. Fermentation runs 4 to 5 days using the CO2 produced in the tank to break the cap, without mechanical pumps or paddles. Malolactic fermentation occurs immediately after in cement tanks. The wine then rests up to 6 months in stainless steel before bottling.

The result is a wine of substantial color and concentration with notably soft tannins. Croatina drives the dark fruit and structure, Barbera adds acidity and brightness, and Uva Rara contributes a floral, lighter-bodied lift. Buttafuoco — the name translates to 'throws fire' — is a style designation under its own DOC, established in August 2010, covering seven communes in Pavia province.

This wine has the acidity and structure to handle braised or roasted meats, including pork shoulder, lamb ragu, and beef stew. It also works well with aged cheeses and mushroom-based dishes like porcini risotto or polenta with wild mushrooms. The soft tannins make it a practical match for tomato-based pasta sauces without the wine turning bitter.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Croatina, Barbera, Uva Rara
Farming:, Sustainable
Vintage:, 2019
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Oltrepo Pavese
Appellation:, Buttafuoco dell'Oltrepo Pavese DOC
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

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If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


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Heat/Frost damage

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Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

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Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Bruno Verdi

The Verdi family has grown grapes in the Canneto Pavese area since the 18th century, when Antonio Verdi came from Parma to settle in the Oltrepo Pavese. The original farm produced wheat and corn alongside grapevines, and also grew mulberry trees to feed silkworms. Luigi, the third generation, was the first family member to make wine. Bruno, a later generation, was the first to bottle wine at the estate under his own name after World War II. His son Paolo took over in 1985 and has led the estate since, working from the winery in the hamlet of Vergomberra, Canneto Pavese.

Verdi's vineyards are spread across four plots on hillsides around Canneto Pavese. The Cavariola cru sits on a west-facing slope with well-drained sandy clay soil and is the source of the flagship Rosso Riserva. Campo del Marrone, the vineyard closest to the winery, grows only Barbera on sandier soils. Vigna Costa and Paradiso are farther out, with soils containing more limestone. A fifth plot, Casa Zoppini, is planted to Pinot Nero on steeper northeastern-facing slopes. Since 2012, fertilization has relied exclusively on manure or bio-certified organic pellets, and green manure cover cropping was introduced across all vineyards starting in 2019.

For the Buttafuoco, harvested grapes are gently destemmed and undergo a cold pre-fermentative maceration of 6 to 7 days with soft pump-overs. Fermentation lasts 4 to 5 days, with cap-breaking driven by CO2 produced during fermentation rather than mechanical pumps or paddles. Malolactic fermentation follows immediately in cement tanks. The wine then rests up to 6 months in stainless steel before bottling. Most wines at the estate ferment spontaneously, with selected yeasts used only when necessary.

Wine region

Oltrepo Pavese, Italy

Oltrepo Pavese is a wedge of land in southern Lombardy, south of the Po River, bordering Piedmont to the west and Emilia-Romagna to the east. Vineyards sit on rolling hills and steeper slopes ranging from roughly 100 to 400 meters above sea level. The climate is continental with dry winters and warm, ventilated summers, and the significant day-to-night temperature variation on the hillsides helps preserve acidity in the grapes. Soils shift from calcareous clay and marl on the traditional hillside zones to sandier, more fertile ground lower down, with the marl-dominant areas producing wines with a pronounced mineral and savory character.

The region falls under the wider Oltrepo Pavese DOC established in 1970, and hosts several sub-appellations. The Buttafuoco dell'Oltrepo Pavese DOC, granted its own standalone status in August 2010, covers seven communes: Stradella, Broni, Canneto Pavese, Montescano, Castana, Cigognola, and Pietra de' Giorgi. The DOC permits blends of 25 to 65% Barbera and 25 to 65% Croatina, with up to 45% Uva Rara and Vespolina, in still or frizzante styles. Oltrepo Pavese is also Italy's largest Pinot Nero territory and home to the Oltrepo Pavese Metodo Classico DOCG.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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