Aglianico – Barolo on a budget
Aglianico, a fine red grape variety from southern Italy, may be less known than Nebbiolo, famous for Barolo in Piedmont, but it’s an excellent and much more affordable alternative. An excellent accompaniment to rich pasta dishes, roast meats and cheese and mushroom dishes.
Aglianico’s name is said to derive from the Italian word “Ellenico” – the Greek one – and it was planted in the Greek colony of Avellino. But research now suggests that it may not be of Greek origin at all. It produces wines of deeper colour than Barolo but shares its powerful acidity, high tannins and full body. These structural elements, coupled with its spiciness and intense flavours – typically of red and black plums, blackberries and black cherries – means that it can benefit from ageing. This softens its tannins while developing complexity in the form of deep earthy and savoury notes.
The variety grows well on the volcanic soils found in Campania and Basilicata in southern Italy. In Campania it can be found in the provinces of Avellino and Benevento north-east of Naples, most notably as Taurasi DOCG* and also as Aglianico del Taburno. While to the south-east across the border in Basilicata, the grape grows best on the slopes of Mount Vulture, an extinct volcano, which gives rise to the local name of Aglianico del Vulture. Outside Italy, examples can already be found in Australia and California and as areas become warmer due to climate change, Mediterranean grapes may well be in great demand worldwide.
In this article, I’ll be looking mainly at DOC wines but there are also many excellent value, non-DOC, wines ideal for earlier drinking. An example is the Cantina di Vesevo Aglianico IGT* from Benevento – see Recommended Wines. This is a spicy, red-fruited wine with light, soft tannins from 8 months maturation in barrels. The Wine Society also carry an Aglianico del Vulture from Le Ralle. These are both good introductions to the variety.
Taurasi DOCG
Taurasi was granted DOC status in 1970 and promoted to DOCG in 1993. The wine must be made from 85% Aglianico grapes with the remainder from other local varieties. Sometimes the lighter, more aromatic Piedirosso may be blended in to soften the wines, especially if they are intended for earlier drinking.
The DOCG rules lay down that the wine must be aged for at least three years, od which one must be in wood while the Riserva extends that to four years and 18 months.
The Taurasi DOC area consists of 17 villages in the region called Irpinia (the old name for Avellino),which is also noted for its white wines – Fiano d’Avellino and Greco di Tufo. This is a diverse area with mountains, hills and plains bisected by many rivers and streams. The local wind systems bring good rainfall and the cold winters are short, giving way to long, relatively mild summers. This helps to produce fresher wines in contrast to other southern Italian wines (think of some Primitivos from Puglia, for example, which tend to have a baked character due to the hot climate). Taurasi is split into four main sub-areas: the Upper Calore valley where vineyards rise up to 700m and the most concentrated, ageworthy wines are produced; and the other areas on the left and right banks of the Calore river and in the Fiano territory which generally produce lighter, richer wines with less tannin and lower alcohol.
Antonio Mastroberardino almost single-handedly fought to preserve the Aglianico grape in Taurasi in the face of re-planting with the higher-yielding Trebbiano and Sangiovese varieties after WWII and this now, 10th, generation family, led by his son Pietro is still the best-known producer. They offer a range of Taurasi wines: the Radici DOCG, aged for 24 months in a mixture of French oak barriques and large Slavonian botti (butts) and then 24 months in bottle; a Radici Riserva with 30 months and 40 months respectively and the Naturalis Historia based upon their 50 year old vines and aged for a similar time as the Radici. These are concentrated, spicy, dark-fruited wines which need to be cellared for extended periods to show at their best. The Radici wines can be found in the UK through Lay & Wheeler and Millesime UK among others.
In total there are now more than 50 producers of Taurasi and, among them, I would also look out for Feudi di San Gregorio which was established by two families in 1986. I very much like their Taurasi DOCG – see Recommended Wines – which can be found quite widely in the UK including from the Wine Society and Wine Direct Sussex. This is a less intense wine than the Radici with 18 months ageing in medium-toasted oak barrels and 9 months in bottle. The tannins are generally soft and support a spicy wine with pronounced notes of plum and sour black cherry. They also make a more concentrated, premium version, Piano di Montevergine – more similar to the Radici – which has up to 24 months ageing in a mixture of French barriques and large barrels plus 24 months in bottle.
Aglianico del Vulture
This wine comes from 400 hectares of land on the slopes of Mount Vulture in Basilicata at an altitude of 450-600m. The climate allows a long ripening season which helps concentrate flavours while maintaining acid in the grapes (although this is hardly a problem for Aglianico!). DOC status was granted in 1970 followed by DOCG in 2010 for the Superiore and Riserva wines. The rules specify lower maximum yields and Superiore must have three years of ageing (of which 12 months in oak) and the Riserva five and two years respectively.
A number of producers prefer to market their wines using the DOC which gives them more flexibility and allows the use of other ageing vessels such as amphorae.
The two oldest producers in the region are probably Paternoster (now controlled by the Tommasi family of Valpolicella fame) and D’Angelo, both now into the fourth generation of each family. More recently, however, younger winemakers have come to the fore and many are members of the group Generazione Vulture, including Elena Fucci, Basilisco, and Grifalco.
The Paternoster wines are generally the fullest-bodied Aglianicos and the Don Anselmo leads the way using high fermentation temperatures and techniques to achieve maximum extraction of flavour and tannins, followed by maturation in a mixture of large Slavonian oak casks and used French barriques for 24 months and 12 months in bottle. Their Synthesi is a slightly lighter wine with 12 months in casks/barriques while the Rotondo uses solely new French barriques giving vanilla and oak notes. They also offer a certified organic wine from their younger vines under the IGT* category.
To my mind D’Angelo’s Aglianicos tend to be less full-bodied and perhaps more approachable when young than the Paternoster wines with shorter maceration times on the skins during fermentation and less time in oak, typically using large casks – 18 months for their Aglianico DOC, for example. They also offer a wine, Casette, matured in concrete eggs for two years followed by two years in large barrels and one in bottle. Advocates of concrete say it helps preserve fruit flavours (and freshness) while adding weight and texture due to microoxidation.
Elena Fucci’s winery was set up in 2000 and she has the benefit of very old vines, some up to 70 years old. Her focus is on fresher wines which can also mature well, and she uses lower fermentation temperatures, typically 22-24C. But she feels new oak works well with Aglianico and so ages her Titolo DOC wine in 50-100% new or second use French barriques for 12 months, followed by 6 months in bottle. Her Titolo by Amphora is fermented and then matured for 18 months in untreated 700 litre terracotta amphorae followed by 6 months in bottle. The 2019 was rated 17.5/20 in Jancis Robinson’s Purple Pages and the reviewer commented on its wild herb notes, intense black fruit and very fine dry tannins. To my mind amphorae and concrete eggs work really well with high tannin grapes like Aglianico (and Touriga Nacional in Dao for example) and I very much look forward to trying this wine. Titolo is currently available from Lay & Wheeler and the Wine Society has recently added the Teodosio from Basilisco to its range.
I hope that you’re inspired by this article to try Aglianico wines if you haven’t already. For me Aglianico is a much-neglected variety and those looking for long-lived, structured wines at affordable prices need look no further**.
*DOC is the Italian equivalent of the French Appellation Contrôlée and DOCG represents a higher category, signifying the best wines which are “guaranteed” not simply “controlled”. IGT is a indication of geographical origin which equates to the French vin de pays.
**Xinomavro from Greece is another contender in the Nebbiolo alternative stakes and there’s no doubt that the quality of winemaking in Greece has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years. But more of that another time.
