Aglianico del Vulture

The small, very mountainous region of Basilicata, in Italy’s central-south, holds one of the three premier DOCs for the red superstar of the south, Aglianico.

While the two DOCs in neighbouring Campania, Taurasi and Aglianico del Taburno, are perhaps better known, the DOC of Aglianico del Vulture (and the less used DOCG of Aglianico del Vulture Superiore), based around the extinct volcano (Monte) Vulture, produces a distinct style of the grape. Where Taurasi is best characterised by fresh and dried florals, berry fruit, various herb and spice notes and high-toned acid, and (Aglianico del) Taburno is recognised by darker-to-black fruits, earth, leather and square, firm tannins, Aglianico del Vulture are wines of bright red berries and plum and many notes of herb, spice, smoke and coffee grounds, with a really zingy palate aligned with fine, almost powdery tannins. It’s the unfolding complexities essentially common to all these, along with assertive acids and tannins, which have traditionally seen Aglianico described as ‘the Barolo of the south’ – even if we thought they might be cynically referring to the illicit transportation of Aglianico from the sunshine south to ‘augment’ the frequently rain and cold-affected vintages of Piedmont’s Nebbiolo. They wouldn’t do that?

“Aglianico is one of Italy’s three greatest red grapes, along with Nebbiolo and Sangiovese…”
Ian D’Agata ~ Italy’s Native Grape Terroirs

No, Aglianico is most certainly its own master and is gradually making it into the big time. As long as it’s grown at altitude; because the main thing which seems to have held back the repute of Aglianico as a maker of really fine wine (apart from clumsy and ultra-trad winemaking) was that much of it was from lower slopes soaking up that ‘360-days-a-year’ sunshine, without the cooling and ripening time extending benefits of higher/cooler altitude.

On the slopes of the old Monte Vulture, we are talking ‘altitude’ at something like 400 metres plus. The combination of volcanic tuff dotted fairly extensively by water-holding clay helps create a superb if taxing environment for the right grape variety. Aglianico is it.

In Basilicata of course, with its relatively difficult and scarce land to devote to viticulture, wine was always made with the table in mind. The typical cuisine of Basilicata – think, tomato, eggplant, various, indeed multifarious, types of peppers and rustic meats (ie sheep and pigs), all conjure up an immediate affinity with the classy, mid-weight, food-friendly and savoury nature that is Aglianico. Here, in many towns and villages, that glorious combo of cucina povera allied to a wine of greatness is waiting for your discovery.