Grape Variety: Aglianico

Colour:

Red

An Italian grape, although it is thought to have originated from Greece, used particularly in the South of Italy - it is the grape used to produce Taurasi D.O.C. (Campania) it is grown widely on the Appenines belt, overlooking all three seas:(Tyrrhenian, Ionian, Adriatic) Aglianico is considered the linking element among the great Southern Italian wines and it is rated along with the best grape varieties in Italy.

It produces a darkly coloured wine which can have orange tints, it tends to give a wine the following characteristics - ample aromas of ripe cherries, black fruit and plums, strong spicy notes, sweet spices, pepper, vanilla, liquorice, eucalyptus and toffee with further secondary aromas of leather, game and tobacco, and on the palate gorgeous ripe, sweet tannins.

Wines made from Aglianico tend to be full-bodied and complex, yet their texture is silky and supple. Our Taurasi from Enzo Leonardo is rich and smooth.

Aglianico can be a good accompaniment to salami and dishes based on Mediterranean vegetables and cheese dishes.

It is often blended with Sangiovese or other grapes such as Merlot - see the Beneventano Rosso from Tenuta Ponte (Luogosano, Campania) - a blend of 70% Aglianico, 10% Sangiovese and 20% Merlot, showing aromas of cherry pie fruit seasoned by fruitwood and smoke, and for a pure 100% Aglianico see the Aglianico Contado from di Majo Norante - this wine exhibits terrific minerality, blueberry, graphite and incense notes and raspberry flavours are noticeable in the mouth along with good acidity, ripe tannins and a layered mouthfeel.