Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
enough to stand on its own, it is often blended
with other local varieties that play a softening
role. In Taurasi, producers are allowed to add
up to 15 percent of grapes other than Aglianico,
and throughout Campania tradition calls for
blending Aglianico with the fresher and more
aromatic Piedirosso. In Puglia, the choice falls
on Primitivo (Zinfandel) to make faster-matur-
ing, fruitier wines, while in Abruzzo or Molise
it's Montepulciano. By contrast, Aglianico del
Vulture legislation demands 100 percent
Aglianico grapes, as does that for Taburno
Aglianico.
No matter where Aglianico wines are made,
they always share certain features. They will
always be fi rm, savory red wines with real min-
eral rather than animal or vegetable nuance,
and plenty of underlying fruit to go along with
their great structure and depth of fl avor—and
the promise of a long and generally happy cel-
lar-life. If the grapes aren't allowed to overripen,
the wines invariably express a lovely fl oral note,
most often recalling red roses, another similar-
ity to Nebbiolo. Aglianico's fl oral perfume, high
tannins and acidity, and obvious ageworthiness
have given it its reputation as the “Barolo of the
south.” And just like Nebbiolo wines, those
made with Aglianico can be downright ornery
when young. Unless the wine is specifi cally
made to be easygoing and fresh, young Aglia-
nico wines will prove tough, tannic, and tarry,
with at times eye-tearing acidity.
It is noteworthy that most of the
terroirs
where great Aglianico wines are made have in
common a volcanic origin: Taurasi, Taburno,
and Vulture are all extinct volcanic sites. The
complex geology of the soils and the generally
cool microclimates of these three areas allow
for the development of smoky and spicy notes
of amazing complexity, complicating the typi-
cal red rose and sour cherry of wines from Tau-
rasi, the leather and herbs of Taburno, and the
rich plum and highly mineral nuances of wines
from the Vulture.
Taurasi is prized not just for its volcanic
soils, but for its altitude as well. The vineyards
climb to more than fi ve hundred meters, pro-
viding hot, sunny days and cool nights; these
day-night temperature differentials (often more
than 10°C difference) help develop the penetrat-
ing aromas of the better Taurasi wines and the
cool mountain weather allows the grapes to
ripen slowly. The aromas and fl avors of Taurasi
can be remarkably similar to Nebbiolo-based
wines at times, though Taurasi wines made
with the VCR 2 clone need a lot of aeration for
the typical fl oral note of Taurasi to emerge.
This similarity is one reason why, in the early
parts of the twentieth century, Aglianico wine
was shipped to northern Italy (and Bordeaux as
well) to reinforce weak vintages of more famous
wines made in those weather-challenged areas.
In Taurasi, the “wine railroad” is still famous, a
train loaded with vats of wine sent off to more
northern locations to “correct” their low alco-
hol, meager reds. (In the Vulture area you can
still see the ruins of the Macchi building, where
old-timers have told me that vats of Aglianico
wine were stored before their journey north.)
The Taburno area of Campania is much less
famous than Taurasi, as up until the 1980s,
wine production here was mainly oriented to
quantity, not quality: Trebbiano Toscano and
Lambrusco
varieties were being planted and the
most common training system was the very
high-yielding
pergola.
However, all that
changed in the 1990s, and today, in Italy at
least, wine lovers are quite aware of the very
good and at times outstanding wines made
there. Even better, the wines are very inexpen-
sive given the quality in the bottle. The Taburno
area is made up of fourteen townships located
mainly on the eastern side of the Taburno
mountain, where soils are heavily clay-calcare-
ous and where there can be day-night tempera-
ture differentials even more brutal than in Tau-
rasi. Furthermore, the Taburno area has
considerable summer rainfall, and a generally
cooler microclimate, so Aglianico wines born
here are marked by particularly high total acid-
ity levels, relatively lighter frames, and delecta-
ble fragrance.
However, as great as the wines of Taurasi
and Taburno can be, they are often bested in
