Basilicata

Basilicata

Although Aglianico is of considerable importance in Campania, Basilicata seems wedded to it in a state of near monogamy. The DOC of Aglianico del Vulture was granted in 1971, but it took another 30 years to grant another DOC, testament to their singularity (there are now four DOCs and one DOCG). A little over half of Basilicata’s vineyard land is devoted to Aglianico, which actually doesn’t make it the most dominant regional grape in terms of percentages (comfortably trumped by Sangiovese in Tuscany and just shaded by Montepulciano in Abruzzo); however, any conversation about quality wine in the region invariably refers to the grape (Tuscany and Abruzzo have a few more strings to their bows), and it is still Aglianico del Vulture that must dominate any serious wine conversation.

Basilicata is not a place typically visited by tourists – Italian and international alike. Its mountainous terrain can verge on the forbidding, and the elevation can plunge much of the region into weather significantly cooler ...READ MORE

Basilicata

Although Aglianico is of considerable importance in Campania, Basilicata seems wedded to it in a state of near monogamy. The DOC of Aglianico del Vulture was granted in 1971, but it took another 30 years to grant another DOC, testament to their singularity (there are now four DOCs and one DOCG). A little over half of Basilicata’s vineyard land is devoted to Aglianico, which actually doesn’t make it the most dominant regional grape in terms of percentages (comfortably trumped by Sangiovese in Tuscany and just shaded by Montepulciano in Abruzzo); however, any conversation about quality wine in the region invariably refers to the grape (Tuscany and Abruzzo have a few more strings to their bows), and it is still Aglianico del Vulture that must dominate any serious wine conversation.

Basilicata is not a place typically visited by tourists – Italian and international alike. Its mountainous terrain can verge on the forbidding, and the elevation can plunge much of the region into weather significantly cooler than one expects from the sun-drenched south. This elevation, though, is key to producing Aglianico of merit, allowing the grapes to mature slowly while controlling the inherent vigour that can quickly see vines overproducing and fruit slipping out of balance. The finest wines come from Vulture in the north on the fringes of an expended volcano of the same name. This location provides the necessary elevation, but it also contributes the fertile, mineral-dense soil favoured by the grape. As with Campania, the wines can be ruggedly tannic and imposing in their youth, but typically have the ability to mature for a significant amount of time, and the best of them sit in the very top tier of Italian wine. 

Principal denominations: Aglianico del Vulture DOC, Aglianico del Vulture Superiore DOCG, Grottino di Roccanova DOC, Matera DOC, Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri DOC
Important white varieties: Malvasia, Moscato

Important red varieties: Aglianico, Malvasia Nera 

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