Who: Antonio Caggiano
What: 100% Aglianico (“ah-YAH-knee-koe”)
Where: Irpinia, Taurasi, Campania, Italy
Tastes Like: Saddleblanket and dark, dried fruit on the nose. Big tannin, but well integrated so it is not overwhelming.
Pairs With: Grilled or smoked meats. Governatore Pizza, spaghetti all'amatriciana.
The What: Aglianico is a grape native to Greece, brought to the southern part of Italy by early Greek settlers. The name comes from a corruption of “vitis hellenica,” or quite literally “greek wine.” The grape is mentioned by name by Pliny the Elder and is arguably the oldest consumer grape planting still grown today. Its finest expressions are grown in Basilicata and Campania, 2 southern, sunny, and dry regions of Italy. It tends to perform best when planted on volcanic soils, making southern Italy a perfect home for it.
The Where: Taurasi is an important wine center for the region of Campania, giving its name to the DOCG red wine of the region made from Aglianico with the option of blending in Piedirosso and Barbera. The area is noted, in addition to its award winning wines, for homely cooking based on homemade pasta, cattle-breeding, and oil and walnut production.
The Who: Antonio Caggiano pursued a career as a photographer before starting the winery on his family’s land in 1990. He really wanted to capture the history and culture of his home region, and the winery he built feels more like a museum of viticulture than simply a cellar. All of his wines are rooted in the indigenous varietals of the area, and he tries to adhere to traditional methods and equipment as much as possible. The Aglianico dell’Irpinia is a single varietal bottling, with the grapes grown on a mix of clay and limestone. Fermentation occurs in 100% stainless steel, and then the wine is rested in oak barrique for between 4 and 6 months, depending on the vintage.
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