The character

Aglianico is the most serious red grape of southern Italy. Late-ripening, thick-skinned, high in tannin and acid, it produces wines of remarkable structure on the volcanic soils of Campania and Basilicata. The name is thought to derive from ‘Ellenico’ (Hellenic), reflecting the grape’s likely Greek origins — it may have been planted on the Italian peninsula by Greek colonists more than 2,500 years ago.

Where it grows best

Campania: Taurasi DOCG is the flagship, on the volcanic soils around Mount Vesuvius and the Irpinia hills. Basilicata: Aglianico del Vulture DOCG, on the slopes of the extinct Mount Vulture volcano. Smaller plantings in Molise and Apulia. Outside Italy: a tiny amount in California (Paso Robles, Sierra Foothills), Texas Hill Country, and Australia (McLaren Vale).

How it tastes

Deep ruby-garnet, often with reddish glints in older examples. Black cherry, blackberry, plum, dried tobacco, leather, smoke, espresso, sometimes a volcanic-mineral note in the older Taurasi and Vulture examples. Tannin is high and firm; acid is bright; alcohol typically 13.5-14.5%. Young Aglianico is famously austere; the grape rewards patience the way young Barolo does.

How it ages

Top Taurasi (Mastroberardino, Feudi di San Gregorio, Quintodecimo) and Aglianico del Vulture (Paternoster, Donato D’Angelo, Elena Fucci) age twenty-five to forty years from a great vintage. The wines need at least eight to ten years to integrate; in their second and third decade they develop a remarkable savory complexity that is often compared to aged Barolo.

What to pair with

Slow-braised meat dishes (Campanian ragù Napoletano, southern Italian agnello al forno). Lamb. Wild boar. Aged sheep’s-milk cheeses. Pasta with rich meat sauces. Aglianico’s high tannin and acid want fatty, slow-cooked food; it overwhelms anything delicate.