Aglianico del Vulture

The Superiore rules say Latin authors (Pliny, Strabo, Virgil, Martial) attest advanced viticulture here and that Horace, born at Venosa, praised the wine of his land. The DOC rules cite vases, cups and pouring vessels with scenes of Dionysus, made locally or imported from Greece at the end of the fourth and start of the third century BC, and finds in the farm quarters of Roman villas between Lavello, Venosa, Melfi, Atella and Rapolla. In the Middle Ages vineyards spread on Church land; between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries the slopes of Vulture were covered with vines, and cellars were dug into caves: an inventory of 1589 counted 110 at Melfi.

From the early 1900s, peaking in 1950-1960, Rionero, Ripacandida, Rapolla and Barile sold sparkling Aglianico for weddings and feasts, with yearly orders from the Vatican, at three to four times the price of still wine. The DOC dates from 18 February 1971 and the Superiore DOCG from 2 August 2010. The consortium treats origin stories about the grape with caution.

The zone lies on the slopes of Monte Vulture, an extinct volcano active until the Upper Pleistocene, whose summit reaches 1,327 m and which falls west toward the Ofanto and east toward the plain of Puglia. Eruptions from about 800,000 years ago dammed rivers, made lakes that later dried, and laid down lava and pyroclastic deposits, leaving volcanic tuffs alternating with arenaceous tuffs. The tuffs act as a water reserve in the dry summers. Soils run from sandy and sandy-pozzolanic to silty-clay, rich in colloids. Vineyards must be on hill land of mainly volcanic origin between 200 and 700 m, generally facing east and south-east.

July and August are very dry, with means of about 25 °C and peaks of 35 °C under African winds; rain averages 650-750 mm, mostly in autumn and winter, with under 100 mm in summer. The massif draws air from both coasts and slope breezes that cool summer nights. Spring frosts are frequent, but Aglianico buds late.

The rules credit the ventilated, bright setting around the massif and the tuff subsoil, which stores summer water, with the wine's character. Strong summer day-night swings slow ripening, often into November, when rain and humidity rise and snow can hamper the harvest; only careful vineyard work lets the grapes last through this long season. All the wines are ruby with good acidity and mainly fruity aromas (berries and stone fruit) with floral notes. The taste has a hint of bitterness and possible residual astringency, typical of the grape, and above all very good structure, which supports balance and long life. The consortium also describes a deep-coloured, dry, structured red from a late-ripening grape.

The DOC wines come from Aglianico del Vulture or Aglianico, trained as alberello or on simple wires, with at least 3,350 vines/ha and a yield of up to 8 t/ha. The red may be sold from 1 September of the year after the harvest. The spumante must be made by natural refermentation in bottle with at least nine months' elaboration; the rules describe the traditional style as refermented in bottle at 3-6 bar with 20-60 g/l of sugar, from grapes picked in November.

The Aglianico del Vulture Superiore DOCG may be sold from 1 November of the third year after the harvest, after at least 12 months in wood and 12 in bottle, and needs 13.5% alcohol; its Riserva may be sold from 1 November of the fifth year, after at least 24 months in wood and 12 in bottle.