Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
23, VCR 111, VCR 106, VCR 109, VCR 103,
UNIMI-VITIS-AGT VV 421, UNIMI-VITIS-
AGT VV 411, BN 2.09.014, BN 2.09.025,
Ampelos TEA 22, and Ampelos TEA 23 (these
are all Campanian Aglianico selections devel-
oped between 1997 and 2008). Recently two
clones have been developed from Aglianico
grown in Puglia: CRSA Puglia D382 and CRSA
Puglia D386. Interestingly, it is plantings of the
VCR 2 clone, which yields bigger, blacker
wines, that have increased greatly in the last ten
years, especially in the Irpinia portion of Cam-
pania. This long list of clones, and the monu-
mental clonal selection research behind it, tells
you just how important Aglianico is in Italy.
Aglianico is blessed with thick skins that
enable it to resist botrytis, allowing for late har-
vesting of this slowly ripening variety. In fact,
Aglianico grapes are perhaps the latest of all
great red wine grapes to be picked: for example,
in the Vulture area of mountainous Basilicata,
starting the harvest in late November is not
unheard of. Long and slow growing seasons
blessed by relatively warm autumns are a pana-
cea for this variety, since its naturally high acid-
ity and strong tannins need the softening effect
of fully ripe berries. These late-season harvests
expose Aglianico to the vagaries of autumn
weather; though it's a generally resistant vari-
ety, in wet years peronospora can be a problem,
while in hot and dry ones Aglianico can also
suffer. Aglianico grows very well even at alti-
tudes (six hundred to seven hundred meters
above sea level) where most red grapes never
manage to reach optimal ripeness. Yet Aglian-
ico doesn't just get by in these marginal cli-
mates: it manages to produce some of the
world's greatest, richest, most ageworthy wines
there. What's more, while Aglianico is very
capable of translating site-specifi c nuances into
the glass, it always preserves its identity wher-
ever it is grown. In other words, Aglianico
seems able to dominate its
terroir,
much as
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot do, and in con-
trast to Nebbiolo or Pinot Nero.
Today, Aglianico grows mainly in Campania
and Basilicata, though there are also small
holdings in Puglia, Abruzzo, Molise, Lazio, and
Calabria. The Taurasi production area in Cam-
pania is made up of seventeen different com-
munes, while Basilicata's Vulture area essen-
tially revolves around the many small towns in
the province of Potenza. But Aglianico is begin-
ning to attract increasing attention outside Italy
too: as climate change is all too obvious globally,
producers everywhere are hitting panic buttons
and asking for ever-later-ripening varieties.
Aglianico plantings now dot the world map. In
Australia, Aglianico has been planted in regions
as diverse as Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley,
Langhorne Creek, King Valley, Mudgee,
McLaren Vale, Riverina, and even Northern Tas-
mania (the Grey Sands estate owns Aglianico
vines) —not just the drought-plagued inland
wine regions. In California, there are plantings
in various AVAs such as Alexander Valley and
Paso Robles, but the variety has also been
planted in less-famous wine-producing states,
such as Texas and New Mexico. In the United
States, the fi rst Aglianico vineyard planted was
in 1988 by Dave Caparone of the Caparone win-
ery in Paso Robles; their San Marcos Road vine-
yard was planted with cuttings identifi ed by
Harold Olmo of the University of California at
Davis, and later by Anna Schneider, one of Ita-
ly's most distinguished wine grape scientists.
Aglianico has also been planted in Argentina
and Mexico. Given the grape variety's many
strengths and few weaknesses, it will likely be
planted more widely in years to come.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
The three most famous wines made from
Aglianico are Campania's DOCG Taurasi (near
Avellino, in the mountainous Irpinia section of
the region) and DOCG Taburno Aglianico
(around Benevento, to the southeast), and
Basilicata's DOC Aglianico del Vulture. How-
ever, there are many very good, even excellent,
wines made in other DOCs, such as Cilento,
Sannio, and Gallucio, all in Campania; the
grape can also be included in IGT wine blends
such as Colli Cimini, Colline Pescaresi, and
Daunia. Though Aglianico is more than good
