Aglianico (78)

Aglianico Wine from Basilicata and Campania

The character of the Aglianico red wines is shaped by cultivation on small, dispersed terraces on extinct volcanoes, such as Monte Vulture in Basilicata or the hills around Taurasi. Here, Aglianico presents itself as exceptionally rich in body and tannins, accompanied by a reduced yet prominent acidity. A velvety structure wrapped in a ruby red to deep dark dress testifies to the demanding vinification that begins with the late harvest on the vineyards lined with volcanic rock. Aglianico is particularly special in many ways, but above all, it is the taste that makes the grape variety popular and sought after.

Aglianico Taste and Character

The taste of Aglianico red wine is characterized by strong tannins and pronounced acidity, which develops into a rounded pleasure with longer aging. The velvety tannins give the wine from southern Italy a substantial body with concentrated spice. On the palate, robust aromas of volcanic origin or hints of plum, chocolate, and dark forest berries are recommended. Thanks to the late ripening of the Aglianico grape variety, powerful aromas build up but are also refreshed by the nightly cold. The color is shaped by the thick-skinned and tannin-rich grapes, filling the glass with ruby splendor.

The Best Aglianico - DOCG Taurasi and DOC Aglianico del Vulture

Campania and Basilicata are ideally suited for the Aglianico grape variety due to soil conditions, climate, and locations. The grapes sprout early and ripen late - the harvest sometimes begins only in November. Cultivation in the northern part of the country is therefore not possible, as the grapes would not reach their full ripeness. As a result, Aglianico is almost exclusively cultivated in southern Italy. Other growing regions are located in California and Australia.

However, the best Aglianico wines come from the regions of Campania and Basilicata. Here, the wines achieve up to 600 meters above sea level to reach DOCG status, for example in Taurasi or as DOC Aglianico del Vulture. Along the extinct volcano Monte Vulture, the DOC Aglianico del Vulture is vinified as a single varietal, producing dark, concentrated, and tannin-rich wines that only improve with age.

Aging Potential of Aglianico Red Wine

With its strongly pronounced tannins, Aglianico red wine is not only well suited for long aging but is also strongly recommended. One should not drink Aglianico young. Through aging, the prominent tannins and acidity diminish, making the wine round and velvety. Like any red wine, Aglianico should be stored cool, dark, and temperature-stable until the optimal time, about 5 years after vinification, to serve the noble wine.

Aglianico Grapes in the Cellar - with Malolactic Fermentation and Wood

In the winery, the grapes undergo a very gentle vinification process. Due to the strong acidity, a malolactic fermentation is often necessary, which usually takes place in wooden barrels. This gives the wine a creamy structure and noble wood note. From cultivation through harvest to production, Aglianico red wine undergoes a vinification that meets the highest demands. You can taste it, you can appreciate it - Aglianico is special.

The Name Aglianico - Origin and Etymology

The Aglianico grape variety is ancient, very ancient, over 2,500 years old. According to general opinion, it was the Phoenicians who shipped the grape variety over their trade routes and colonization from Greece to southern Italy. The name Vitis Helenica - Greek wine - always hovers in this origin as a synonym for Aglianico. However, the evidence for this theory is relatively thin. DNA analyses showed no connection between the Aglianico variety and grape varieties from Greece. Rather, the analyses indicated close relationships with grape varieties from Campania and Basilicata, primarily with Aglianicone, a descendant of Aglianico.

The assumption that Aglianico has Greek origins comes from the year 1581, from a scholar named Giambattista della Porta. He equated the ancient Helvola grape variety, described by Pliny the Elder, with hellanico - a Hellenic grape. From then on, it was considered among wine authors that Aglianico is the same as hellanico, which corresponds to Greek grape variety.

However, many facts contradict this thesis, primarily the color of the two wines. While Helvola was a yellowish wine, Aglianico grapes are very dark. Furthermore, the adjective hellenicus, which described objects of Greek origin, did not exist at the time of Pliny the Elder. Roman sources always referred to graecus; Greek grapes and never hellenicus grapes.

The first written mention of Aglianico dates back to 1520 from a document by Count Giulio Antonio Acquaviva d’Aragona, who cultivated Aglianiche among his vines - the plural for Aglianico. It is likely that the etymological origin comes from Spanish, as the first mention of Aglianico coincides with the time of Spanish occupation of Italy. The Spanish word for plain, llano, provides a hot lead for the name's origin of Aglianico, as the syllable lla is pronounced in Italian as glia. If one considers older dialects that refer to the grape variety as la Glianica, the meaning of the name Aglianico becomes clear: the grape of the plain.

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