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Wine of the Month: Aglianico from Terredora
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The Grape:
Cultivated by the Phoenicians, exported by the Greeks, consumed by the Romans, protected by popes and coveted as a blending agent during the phylloxera plague, “Aglianico is probably the grape with the longest consumer history of all,” Aglianico is a red wine grape variety native to southern Italy. It is known to produce full-bodied red wines that show musky berry flavors with firm tannins and good aging potential. Even when grown in hot climates, Aglianico is capable of reaching high levels of acidity, which makes it a particularly useful vine in the Mediterranean. The vine is believed to have first been cultivated in Greece by the Phoceans from an ancestral vine that ampelographers have not yet identified. |
From Greece it was brought into Italy by settlers at Cumae, near modern-day Pozzuoli, and from there spread to various points in the regions of Campania and Basilicata.While still grown in Italy, the original Greek plantings seem to have disappeared. In ancient Rome, the grape was the principal component of the world's earliest first-growth wine, Falernian. Along with a white grape known as Greco (today grown as Greco di Tufo), the grape was commented on by Pliny the Elder, the maker of some of the highest-ranked wines in Roman times.
Traces of the vine have been found in Molise, Apulia, and also on the island of Procida near Naples, although it is no longer widely cultivated in those places. The grape was called Ellenico (the Italian word for "Greek") until the 15th century, when it acquired its current name of Aglianico.
Traces of the vine have been found in Molise, Apulia, and also on the island of Procida near Naples, although it is no longer widely cultivated in those places. The grape was called Ellenico (the Italian word for "Greek") until the 15th century, when it acquired its current name of Aglianico.
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The Aglianico vine buds early and grows best in dry climates with generous amounts of sunshine. It has good resistance to outbreaks of oidium, but can be very susceptible to Peronospora. It also has low resistance to botrytis, but since it is much too tannic to make a worthwhile dessert wine, the presence of this noble rot in the vineyard is more of a viticultural hazard than an advantage.
The grape has a tendency to ripen late, with harvests as late as November in some parts of southern Italy. If the grape is picked too early, or with excessive yields, the grape can be aggressively tannic. The vine seems to thrive in particularly volcanic soils. |
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The Winery:
Terredora, Winegrowers in Campania.
Since 1978 Terredora has been a key player in Campania’s viticultural reinassance. Combining experience and tradition, Terredora has introduced in its own historic, indigenous vineyards modern innovations, technical knowledge, and a team dedicated to respecting and promoting the return to traditional viticulture, a most qualified tradition.In Campania the history of men is intimately linked to vines; Terredora,s commitment is to filling the glass with the taste of this fascinating and generous land, thanks to the benefits of volcanoes and the sun. After World War II, Walter Mastroberardino, a resolute southern man who is now head of Terredora, began to carry his bottles around Italy, starting from Milan.
In 1994 a chapter of his life ended and, at sixty years old when people usually retire, he started a new journey with his children Daniela, Lucio and Paolo, and the support of his wife, Dora Di Paolo. It was not by chance that his new company has taken the name of his wife, a quiet but active woman. The cellar was built in Montefusco for vinifying the grapes of the family estate, which dates back to 1978 when Irpinia was characterized predominantly by its wildness. The family has always had the direct control of all production steps, which has ensured overall quality, guaranteeing great final wines. Terredora is a more twenty year success story that has also, sadly, seen the passing of Dora and the early death, in 2013, of Lucio, the company winemaker. Lucio was just a boy when he started his career, and in 2006 he quickly rose to fame, gaining attention in London for his nomination for “Winemaker of the Year” in the white wines category at the “ International Wine Challenge”
Typical of a wise man who has gone through many storms and has never been defeated, Walter Mastroberardino decided that, in time of sorrows, the family must be at the forefront, facing the challenges of starting a new stage united in the memory of the man who had so greatly contributed in the creation of company. The story of Terredora is the portrait of Walter and his family, in all the colors of his homeland and its hard-working, genuine people. Irpinia, a hilly area, not far from the Gulf of Naples, Pompei, Amalfi and Sorrento, has its own reward, thanks to the wines produced there since the Greeks and Romans. Among the greatest wine companies of South Italy, Terredora , with about 200 hectares, carries on its job in the vineyards and in the cellar each day according to the most careful techniques that respect this unique environment. The identity of Terredora wines is, therefore, that of worthy fruits, of nature and of imagination supported by skilled hands.
Since 1978 Terredora has been a key player in Campania’s viticultural reinassance. Combining experience and tradition, Terredora has introduced in its own historic, indigenous vineyards modern innovations, technical knowledge, and a team dedicated to respecting and promoting the return to traditional viticulture, a most qualified tradition.In Campania the history of men is intimately linked to vines; Terredora,s commitment is to filling the glass with the taste of this fascinating and generous land, thanks to the benefits of volcanoes and the sun. After World War II, Walter Mastroberardino, a resolute southern man who is now head of Terredora, began to carry his bottles around Italy, starting from Milan.
In 1994 a chapter of his life ended and, at sixty years old when people usually retire, he started a new journey with his children Daniela, Lucio and Paolo, and the support of his wife, Dora Di Paolo. It was not by chance that his new company has taken the name of his wife, a quiet but active woman. The cellar was built in Montefusco for vinifying the grapes of the family estate, which dates back to 1978 when Irpinia was characterized predominantly by its wildness. The family has always had the direct control of all production steps, which has ensured overall quality, guaranteeing great final wines. Terredora is a more twenty year success story that has also, sadly, seen the passing of Dora and the early death, in 2013, of Lucio, the company winemaker. Lucio was just a boy when he started his career, and in 2006 he quickly rose to fame, gaining attention in London for his nomination for “Winemaker of the Year” in the white wines category at the “ International Wine Challenge”
Typical of a wise man who has gone through many storms and has never been defeated, Walter Mastroberardino decided that, in time of sorrows, the family must be at the forefront, facing the challenges of starting a new stage united in the memory of the man who had so greatly contributed in the creation of company. The story of Terredora is the portrait of Walter and his family, in all the colors of his homeland and its hard-working, genuine people. Irpinia, a hilly area, not far from the Gulf of Naples, Pompei, Amalfi and Sorrento, has its own reward, thanks to the wines produced there since the Greeks and Romans. Among the greatest wine companies of South Italy, Terredora , with about 200 hectares, carries on its job in the vineyards and in the cellar each day according to the most careful techniques that respect this unique environment. The identity of Terredora wines is, therefore, that of worthy fruits, of nature and of imagination supported by skilled hands.
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Terredora - Aglianico "Campania" IGT 2015
Ruby/purple red Spicy aromas of ripe red berries, violets and a slight gamey character Wild cherries, dark raspberries, spices, leather and licorice come together beautifully in this medium-bodied red Category: Red, Dry, Still Grapes: 100% Aglianico Alcohol: 13% Awards: 2011 - Wine Spectator: 88 points 2011 - Decanter: Bronze 2011 - International Wine Challenge: Bronze |
$39.00 (U.P. $52.00) |