Aglianico

Aglianico (English: /ælˈjænɪkoʊ/ al-YAN-ik-oh, Italian: [aʎˈʎaːniko]) is a black grape grown in the southern regions of Italy, mostly Basilicata and Campania. It is considered with Sangiovese and Nebbiolo to be one of the three greatest Italian varieties. Aglianico is sometimes called "The Barolo of the South" (il Barolo del Sud) due to its ability to produce highly refined, complex fine wines like the famous wine from Piedmont, Barolo.

The origins of both the vine itself and its name are unclear. Traditionally, the vine is thought to have originated in Greece, first cultivated by Phocians from an unidentified ancestral vine; it was then brought to Cumae, near modern-day Pozzuoli, by Greek settlers in the 8th century BC, and from there it spread into southern Italy. However, modern DNA analysis of Aglianico does not support this view, revealing little relation to other Greek grape varieties. Its parentage also remains unknown, implying that it is likely to be endemic to its region. If Aglianico was imported to Italy from Greece, no original Greek plantings have persisted.

The name first appeared in print as the feminine plural Aglianiche in 1520, and several etymological theories persist. The name may be a corruption of vitis hellenica (Latin for 'Greek vine'), or of Apulianicum, the Latin name for the whole of southern Italy in the time of ancient Rome. However, since there is also no record of the name Aglianico prior to the fifteenth century Spanish conquest of southern Italy, another possible origin of the name is from llano (Spanish for 'plain') denoting a grape grown on the plains.

Oenologist Denis Dubourdieu has said "Aglianico is probably the grape with the longest consumer history of all", claiming that Aglianico was used to make the Falernian wine famed during Roman times. Along with the white grape Greco (used to make the famous Greco di Tufo wine), the red grape of the region was regarded favourably by Pliny the Elder. 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.

Despite the similarities in naming, the Campanian wine grape Aglianicone is not a clonal mutation of Aglianico but DNA analysis does suggest a close genetic relationship between the two varieties.

In Basilicata, Aglianico is the basis of the Aglianico del Vulture DOC and the region's only DOCG wine, Aglianico del Vulture Superiore, concentrated in the northern area of the province of Potenza. The most sought-after productions come from the vineyards located in and around the extinct volcano Mount Vulture.

In Campania, the area in and around the village of Taurasi in the Province of Avellino and the area around the Monte del Taburno in the Province of Benevento produce Aglianico wines bearing the DOCG designation. Taurasi was designated DOCG in 1993, and Aglianico del Taburno in 2011. More Aglianico can be found in the province of Caserta, as the principal grape of Falerno del Massico.

The grape has also recently been planted in Australia, California, and Texas as it thrives in predominantly sunny climates with a long ripening season. In Australia it is being introduced in the Murray Darling region with some success. Producers in Sierra Foothills, McLaren Vale, Margaret River, Mudgee and Riverland are also experimenting with plantings. Elsewhere in North America, it has been trialled in Arizona and in Ontario, Canada.