Aglianico’s Unsung Greatness: Make Way for the Mezzogiorno
Aglianico is Italy’s most widely grown red grape south of Rome, yet it has yet to carve out a name for itself alongside the country’s most storied brands. No lesser authority than Ian d’Agata – who literally wrote the book on Italian varietals – has this to say of it:
“Along with nebbiolo and sangiovese, it is generally believed to be one of Italy’s three best wine grapes, but in my opinion, it is far more: At the very least, it’s one of the world’s dozen or so best wine grapes.”
It is a dynamic varietal both ancient and new. Its very name implies pre-Roman, Hellenic origins, but Aglianico likely emerged on the boot itself. It has a long commercial history, possibly stretching back to the Screaming Eagle of its day (Rome’s Falernian), yet it is just now gaining a toehold on the international market as a modern wine. Aglianico is capable of easy-drinking, everyday guzzlers and well-structured, ageworthy monsters. We’ll seek to better understand all its forms across the two Italian provinces where it remains the noble red grape: Campania and Basilicata.
For those of you provisioning remotely, three producers to look out for are Mastroberardino, Terradora di Paolo, and Feudi di San Gregorio. They all make wine on a massive scale but are – each in their own way – devoted to upholding local viticultural traditions and represented by large national importers (making their Aglianico more widely available).
Bill Jensen, sommelier for Michelin-starred Washington DC restaurant Tail Up Goat, and her sister Reveler’s Hour, is a breakout star of the Covid-19 Pandemic with his virtual wine school. In an effort to stay in touch with his regulars and soon-to-be regulars, he launched #StayHome Wine School on March 29th, and continued every Sunday at 4 pm EST for 40 straight weeks.
To be added to the newsletter and gain access to the class each week, email your request to: wineschool@tailupgoat.com
This week’s bit of verse was from Ode 4.7 by Horace
In Bill’s post-class recap email, he said this:
Neopolitans say: “Campa un giorno e campalo bene.” Live for the day and live it well. Aglianico in particular and the indigenous reds of Southern Italy more broadly leave us like Janus facing backward and forward, thinking back to the wines of antiquity while considering the vast potential for these underappreciated grapes. Aglianico is a bit of an acquired taste, less love at first sip than a longer narrative that reveals layers of sophistication and charm with time in the glass. But this slow burner is perhaps a more enduring beauty than the flash in the pan cover girls and boys of the wine world.
I was particularly inspired by the Mastroberardino example and Antonio’s efforts to preserve his region’s native grapes in the wake of war and global depression. (That’s to say nothing of the family’s latest project to recreate the wines of Pompeii.) Current proprietor and Most Interesting Man in the World Piero Mastroberardino was asked for his thoughts about the industry in the midst of pandemic and had this to say:
“[T]he women and men of wine are tough. They don’t lack in creativity. They have an artist’s spirit and it will help them to find their way even through this dense forest. And that’s why I’m hopeful for what tomorrow will bring. It will be a different tomorrow and it will take some time to get used to it. But it will still be a tomorrow. In the meantime, our wines will continue to age and they will find their place in the planet’s rekindled community.”
– The Times’ former Rome bureau chief is seduced by Naples:
– Piero Mastroberardino talks Campania, Pompeii, and ancient vines:
– GuildSomm gives you a thorough profile of Irpinia’s wine scene in the heart of Campania:
– The Enthusiast invites you to discover Taurasi:
– IntoWine celebrates one of Italy’s greatest undiscovered wines, Aglianico del Vulture:
– The Enthusiast is back at it with a fabulous survey of different vine-training schemes:
– A classics scholar rates the wines that Horace namedrops in his verse: