D’Angelo Aglianico del Vulture 2019

Alcohol: 13.5%

Grape(s): Aglianico del Vulture 

Localisation: Basilicata, Italy

Tasting Notes: Well-concentrated aromas of black raspberry, pomegranate, violet, and freshly turned earth carry the nose of this rustic red. It's light in profile, with zesty berry flavors wrapped in mildly gritty tannins. There's a charm to be had among the delightful mix of juicy fruit and earthy tones. Enjoy at the dinner table alongside lamb or venison.

#49 in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2022, 91 points:  Compact and fresh, this medium- to full-bodied red reveals macerated black raspberry fruit accented by notes of dried sage, graphite, fig cake, and mineral, with firm, dusty tannins. Let this open in the glass or decant ahead of time. Best through 2029.

Food Pairing: It goes very well with all meat courses and flavourful or not-too-sophisticated dishes.

The Domain: The history of Aglianico is lost in the mists of time, therefore, its origins are very difficult to determine. It appears to have been introduced by the Greeks in their Southern Italian colonies around 800 or 700 BC. Among the most commonly mentioned historical evidence is the discovery of a Roman wine press in Rionero in Vulture, as well as an ancient bronze coin found in the Venosa area, depicting Dionysus (Bacchus in the Roman transposition), a Greek god. As for literary citations, possibly none deserves a mention more than the famous odes to wine written by Roman poet Horace, a native of Venosa. The origin of the name is quite uncertain, if not even mysterious. For many years, people believed that the term Aglianico came from ancient Greek – confirming its ancient Greek etymology – and that the original word was “crippled” during the Aragonese domination to become Aglianico. According to another theory – introduced by Manuela Piancastelli – the term Aglianico derives from the Greek word “agleukinosicos” or “wine without sugar/glucose.”