Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
sold Ciliegiolo to producers looking for
Aglianicone.
There is no doubt that not all the Agliani-
cone vines dotting the countryside in Campa-
nia are in fact Aglianicone. Given the huge
popularity of Aglianico in the region, and its
huge economic importance, any half-witted
farmer who found bigger-than-usual, Aglia-
nico-like grape bunches and berries in the vine-
yards would undoubtedly have started referring
to them as “big Aglianico,” or Aglianicone. In
fact, some experts believe that a good deal of
the vines identifi ed as the Tronto variety of
Aglianico (also called Aglianico di Napoli) are
in fact Aglianicone, especially those grown in
the Val Calore of Salerno, and perhaps in the
provinces of Avellino and Caserta as well. By
contrast, true Aglianicone is most likely to be
found in the Beneventano area; those Agliani-
cone grapevines present clear-cut morphologic
differences from Aglianico biotypes. Of course,
I have seen other Aglianicone vines that I feel
certain actually
are
Aglianicone that look like
Aglianico, albeit with bunches that are more
loosely packed and bigger berries.
Aglianicone has medium-large, conical-
pyramidal bunches and medium-sized, round
berries. Never too vigorous, Aglianicone has
reduced fertility and yields because of
mill-
erandage;
so though it produces many bunches,
Aglianicone's yields are low. All its phenologic
phases occur earlier than those of Aglianico,
and its resistance to oidium and botrytis is
good. The berries usually present lower sugar
and higher acid concentrations than those of
Aglianico. There are no offi cially certifi ed
clones of Aglianicone available.
Things are looking up for Aglianicone. In
2003, Michele Clavelli, mayor of Sant'Angelo a
Fasanella, set up the Tenute del Fasanella
estate, which devotes attention to local natives,
especially Aglianicone. Bruno De Conciliis,
one of Campania's most famous producers, is
also now producing a 100 percent Aglianicone,
though he told me that he suspects his grape-
vines may be a different variety altogether,
since the genetic analysis performed on them
by the University of Potenza failed to show a
match with the Aglianicone genetic fi ngerprint
in the database. Then again, as we've seen, it's
anybody's guess what variety was originally
studied to create that database. “They are sixty-
year-old vines owned by one of my employees,”
De Conciliis told me. “His grandfather was
sure it was Aglianicone, but we're not.” I can't
say I'm surprised.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
In Campania, though more accurate verifi ca-
tions are necessary, Aglianicone appears at
present to be limited to the countryside around
Salerno and Benevento; by contrast, in Basili-
cata it is probably more common than is widely
believed. No pure DOC wines exist (the sole
DOC Aglianicone wine is Castel San Lorenzo),
though there are a number of supposedly pure
Aglianicone IGT wines. In Basilicata, an
Aglianicone Rosato Frizzante, a sparkling
rosé, is being made. Though the pH and total
acidity of wines made with Aglianicone (or
what I was told was Aglianicone) are similar to
those of Aglianico wines on paper, well-made
Aglianicone wines I have tried over the years
strike me as fruitier and less spicy than
Aglianico wines, though almost as full bodied
and tannic.
A very interesting grape of uncommon
potential, Aglianicone deserves to be better
known—that is, once we all agree upon exactly
what it is we are tasting. Aglianicone's unde-
served reputation as a generally low-quality
variety is most likely due to its frequent confu-
sion with Tronto, as almost everyone gets the
two cultivars, and hence the wines, completely
mixed up. Though Aglianicone will never
cause anyone to rip up his or her Aglianico
vineyards, it is by no means a low-quality va-
riety.
wines to try:
De Conciliis** (Monteforte
Aglianicone Pestum), Canto delle Vigne**
(Aglianicone Pestum) with a whopping forty-
one grams per liter dry extract in 2006, and
Tenute del Fasanella**.
