I wrap up this month’s feature on the regions of Molise,
Campania and the Basilicata with a look into the Basilicata wine region. This region is one of the smallest
regions in Italy with acres to vines. It
is located in southern Italy situated between the regions of Campania, Puglia
and Calabria. A small amount of the Basilicata
lines the coast with the Tyrrhenian Sea to the southwest and the Ionian Seas on
the southeast.
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The Basilicata is a rugged terrain from the Apennines
Mountains and hills that occupy about 90% of the territory.There is a small amount of plains that are
located closer to the sea.The non-active
volcano, Monte Vulture, is located in the northwest corner with altitudes about
4,300 feet where many of the Basilicata’s vineyards are located.With such a mix of geography, the climate is continental
with a higher amount of precipitation around the mountains and a mediterranean
climate near the sea.
With the varied geography also comes a variety of
soils.Surrounding Monte Vulture the
soils are rich volcanic soils as one would imagine.The hills are full of clay and closer to the
sea the soils are sandy with marine sediments.
The Basilicata is dominated by red wines with about
70-80% of the overall production. The Aglianico grape is the primary red
grape representing more than half of the wines. The only DOCG in the Basilicata
is Aglianico del Vulturno Superiore DOCG that was promoted to this level in
2010 from the DOC originally established in 1971.This is one of the respected wines of Italy and shares similarities with neighboring Campania's Taurasi and Aglianico del Taburno.
You will find Aglianico produced under both the DOC and DOCG designations with varying regulations.Those of the Aglianico DOC can be released a
year after harvest, but from the Aglianico del Vulture Superiore DOCG the
yields are stricter, higher alcohol levels are required and aging must be a minimum of 3 years with at
least 1 year in wood and 1 in the bottle.
Sourced from Consorzio di Tutela Aglianico del Vulture
Although white wines take a backseat in this region it’s worth
noting that the grape of importance is Malvasia Bianca di Basilicata.A couple DOC’s where you can locate this
grape are the Matera DOC Bianco and Grottino di Grottanova DOC Bianco.
It’s almost impossible to talk about the wine region of
Campania without discussing the Aglianico grape. Campania is where Aglianico shines, along
with the Basilicata region next door, but depending on the area in which it is
produced will determine what you get in the glass. Two of Campania’s appellations, Taurasi DOCG
and Aglianico del Taburno DOCG, showcase the great qualities that this grape possesses
so let’s take a look at the two in comparison.
Taurasi DOCG
The Taurasi DOCG appellation is in the province of Avellino
in Irpinia about 35 miles east of Naples.
The area in which these vineyards are located are in the mountainous
Calore Valley with altitudes of 1,000 to 2,300 feet above sea level. As you can imagine due to the mountains this
area has a cooler climate that moderate the Tyrrhenian Sea influences that
create large diurnal swings. Many of
these vines beat phylloxera that ran rapid through most of Europe so you will
find some ancient vines in this area.
The Taurasi DOCG was established in 1993. It was the first DOC in southern Italy in
1970 and this was driven by the known producer, Antonio Mastroberardino. He saw the potential in Aglianico and other
native grapes of Campania after World War II when the government at the time
was pushing for grapes that would be more productive. Due to his efforts and success with producing
quality Aglianico in 1968 he released his Aglianico that set the stage for this
grapes success.
Aglianico under the Taurasi DOCG must consist of a minimum
of 85% Aglianico, although many producers you will see produce wines made from
100% Aglianico. The wines must age a
minimum of 3 years with one in wood with the riserva wines aging for at least 4
years with 18 months in wood. The wines
of this area are full-bodied, complex, structured wine with a rich, bold
profile. A flavor profile of cherry,
black cherry, violet, spice, leather and tobacco to name a few. They are wines that have high alcohol,
acidity and tannin allowing these grapes to be quite age worthy. To tame these wines to make them more
approachable in their youth some producers will have shorter maceration times
and the usage of barrels for balance.
Aglianico del Taburno DOCG
The Aglianico del Taburno DOCG on the other hand is located
in the Sannio appellation that I spoke about last week within the Benevento
province. This DOCG was established much
later in 2011. This area faces hot days
and cool nights tempered by the mountains.
Aglianico del Taburno has similar soils to Taurasi with volcanic matter
and calcareous clay, but here there is sandstone while Taurasi has limestone in
addition to the previous mentioned.
The Aglianico here is from a biotype known as Aglianico
Amaro which carries a high acidity.
These wines will usually have a lighter profile than Taurasi. They too also must be made from at least 85%
Aglianico with most producers using 100% Aglianico as well. They are aged at least 2 years and riservas
are aged at least 3 years with 1 year in wood and 6 months in the bottle.
The wine
Although I don’t have a wine from the Aglianico
del Taburno to share this week, I did enjoy a bottle of Taurasi from
Donnachiara. You can’t go wrong with any
wines from this producer as I’ve experienced over the years. I sampled a 10 year old bottle that proved to
me the longevity of this wine with how much life was still in the bottle. It was a 2013 Donnachiara Taurasi DOCG made
from 100% Aglianico.
This is a grape that grows early and is harvested late as
you can see in this bottle with these grapes harvested the first half of
November.The wine was aged 12 months in
225 liters of French barrique with another 12 months in the bottle.Although the label stated it is “ruby red
with purple” colors in the glass mine was more garnet with some slight brick
hues on the edge, which could be from it’s age.A rich nose in the glass of black cherries, blackberries and licorice.This wine neededa little time to aerate as it had some
gripping tannins up front that smoothed out with a little time.Dry with a persistent finish.ABV 13.5%
The pairing
I paired this Donnachiara Taurasi with ribs cooked in my Instant Pot as I've had much success in preparing them this way. For me these days it's about the ease, time and quality with many balls in the air. With a touch of homemade BBQ sauce broiled for a few minutes once they came out they held their own paired with this Aglianico. This grape is one that definitely needs to be paired with rich meats and flavorful dishes.
In conclusion, I connected with a couple producers from
these areas and they both agree over the difference in quality between these
two appellations.Gianluigi Addimanda
from Cantine Fratelli Addimanda stated that the biotypes are the same, but over
the centuries they’ve differentiated expression and production.Aglianico del Taburno is more productive than
those produced in Taurasi.Taurasi was influenced by the Vesuvius
eruption in 79 B.C. that increased the quality of these wines allowing it to
become the first DOCG out of those appellations primarily based on
AGlianico.Claudio de Luca of Case d’Alto
states that AGlianico is still Aglianico physiologically with the structure of
the grapes and moderate vigor.Overall
it’s the soils and technologies that allow for different products.
We start off March with our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group (#ItalianFWT) as we take on the southern regions of the Basilicata, Campania and Molise. It makes sense to group these three regions together as they have some similarities between them in landscapes and terroirs that I’ll explore more as I feature them individually throughout the month. This week’s feature is the region of Molise and the Tombacco winery.
The Region - Molise
Molise is the second smallest region in Italy behind the Valle d’Aosta region in northern Italy. It used to be part of the Abruzzo region, known as Abruzzi e Molise, until 1963. Overshadowed by the prominence of its neighboring wine regions, Molise is small in terms of annual wine production. There are 4 DOCs in Molise, but they only account for about 4% of the overall production. These DOCs include Bifernno, Tintilia del Molise, Molise, and Pentrod’Isernia.
A large amount of Molise’s terrain is mountainous stemming from the southern Appennines. Inland, the climate is more continental with cold winters and warm summers with snow abound in the mountain ranges. Along the coastline of the Adriatic the climate is more Mediterranean and mild.
The Winery – Cantina Tombacco
The Tombacco winery originally began as a farm built by Giovanni Battista Tombaccowhom wanted to produce peaches. In 1919 he transformed the winery and the old vines so that he could get into winemaking. Giovanni’s sons, Bruno and Adriano, joined him and the youngest grandson, Giuliano, expanded the winery to include a larger cellar and warehouse. Today the winery is led by Giuliano with his son, Cristian.
Cantina Tombacco has their own estates in the Veneto region in northern Italy and also partner with other agricultural companies that share the same values and show the same care and passion for growing quality grapes as the Tombacco winery does. Per their site, 40% of the production is sold in bottles totaling around 10 million bottles and the other 60% is sold in barrels. The wines are 100% certified organic as well as vegan certified, meaning that their filtering and clarifying is using vegetable and mineral derivatives.
The area – Biferno DOC
The Biferno DOC appellation is named after the local Biferno River, which flows from the northeast to the Adriatic Sea. This area encompasses inland from the capital, Campobasso, towards the Adriatic Sea. Asyou’ll see in the blend in a little bit, the wines require to be made from 70-80% Montepulciano and 15-20%Aglianico with up to 15% of non-aromatic red grapes. TheRiserva wines mustage at a minimum of 3 years with 13% alcohol.
The Wine
The 2018 Cantina TombaccoBiferno Rosso Riserva DOC is made from 80% Montepulciano and 20% Aglianico. The wine is aged in stainless and 500-liter tonneau for 36+ months. The color was a dense, intense ruby with aromas of cherry, vanilla and spice. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and smooth with good acidity and subtle tannins. Notes of blackberry and cherry with some spice and oak present on the finish. ABV 14% SRP About $15
Join the rest of our Italian food and wine loving crew as they share their explorations of the Basilicata, Molise and Campania wine regions this weekend. Catch us live on Twitter this Saturday at 11am EST #ItalianFWT to chat about these southern wine regions of Italy.
