Ep 454: The Grape Miniseries -- Aglianico

<p style="font-weight: 400;">In this show, we cover Aglianico - the best red grape you may have never heard of. Widely considered one of Italy’s top three red grapes with Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, many consider the wines of Aglianico some of the world’s top bottles too. That said, because Aglianico is a grape of the more obscure regions in southern Italy (Campania and Basilicata, mainly), the wine hasn’t gotten its due. It is much less expensive than top Barolos and Barbarescos or Chiantis and Brunellos – although it is slowly catching up. It is a grape well-suited to warm Mediterranean climates, and for the changing climates of once cooler growing areas like regions of California and Australia. Aglianico is historic, yet modern and there has never been a better time to get acquainted with the wines of this beautiful grape.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;"><a href= "https://www.taubfamilyselections.com/producers/mastroberardino" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style= "display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src= "https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/show/45638/Aglianico_3.jpeg" alt= "" width="400" height="266" /></a><span style= "font-size: 8pt;">Photo: Aglianico<br /> <a href= "https://www.taubfamilyselections.com/producers/mastroberardino" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Source: Taub Family Selections, Mastroberardino Page</em></a></span></p> <p style="font-weight: 400;"> </p> <p style="font-weight: 400;">Here are the show notes:</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>We cover the history of the grape and discuss possible origins.</strong></p> <ul> <li>Aglianico is considered to be one of Italy’s oldest grapes and it was always thought to be an import from the Greeks who colonized Campania and other parts of southern Italy. Today, Attilio Scienza, the foremost Italian grape scientist, has changed that theory. He believes the grape is native to southern Italy and the name is related to the Spanish word for plains “llano” (ll=gli, both sounds like y sound in canyon). The gr