Darby’s Vinodiversity Community

Aglianico

Southern Italian red with oomph

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Darby Higgs
Apr 12, 2025
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Aglianico is a red wine variety from Southern Italy, now grown in Australia.

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Red, Origin: S Italy, Rank: 73 (This variety ranks 73 in area planted throughout the world), Australian Producers 55

Aromas and flavours: Black cherries, dark chocolate, plums.

This is a deeply coloured red wine variety from the regions of Basilicata and Campania in Southern Italy. It is grown to a limited extent in Australia and California.

The name implies that it was believed to be of Greek origin (Aglianico could be derived from the word Hellenic), but recent research indicates that it almost certainly originated in Italy.

The Aglianico Taurasi DOCG in Campania and Aglianico del Vulture DOCG in Basilicata regions produce the most highly regarded examples, the latter being grown in the volcanic slopes of Mount Vulture.

Aglianico wines were traditionally deeply coloured and loaded with tannins, in which case they need a decade or two of bottle ageing. Lighter styles are now being made.

Food choices: These wines are robust and age-worthy. Enjoy them with richer savoury dishes such as spicy sausages, beef or game stews. ~DH

Extract from Beyond Shiraz book

Australian Producers of Aglianico

This list is derived from Darby’s Unique Vindata database. Paid subscribers to this Substack can be given free access to this unique database which contains entries on over 1400 Australian wineries using about 180 alternative varieties.

  • 4382 Terroir Granite Belt

  • Amadio Adelaide Hills

  • Attwood Wines Macedon Ranges

  • Atze’s Corner Wines Barossa Valley

  • Billy Button Alpine Valleys

  • Black and Ginger Grampians

  • Calabria Family Wines Riverina

  • Cantina Abbatiello Riverland

  • Cappa Stone Murray Darling

  • Carillion Hunter Valley

  • Caro Piccolo Riverina

  • Chalmers Heathcote

  • Chrismont King Valley

  • Conte Estate Wines McLaren Vale

  • Cradle of Hills McLaren Vale

  • D’Arenberg McLaren Vale

  • Di Lusso Estate Mudgee

  • Dowie Doole McLaren Vale

  • Fighting Gully Road Beechworth

  • Gray Sands Northern Tasmania

  • Grosset Clare Valley

  • Hidden Creek Granite Belt

  • Hither and Yon McLaren Vale

  • Hofer Family Wines Southern Fleurieu

  • Il Modo Murray Darling

  • Izway Wines Barossa Valley

  • L’Enologa Murray Darling

  • La Curio McLaren Vale

  • La Prova Adelaide Hills

  • Lethbridge Wines Geelong

  • Meteora Estate Granite Belt

  • Mr Black Barossa Valley

  • Next Crop Wines Langhorne Creek

  • Ngeringa Adelaide Hills

  • Otherness Barossa Valley

  • Pepper Tree Wines Hunter Valley

  • Pertaringa McLaren Vale

  • Purple Hands Wines Barossa Valley

  • Ricca Terra Riverland

  • Sabella Wines McLaren Vale

  • Saddlers Creek Wines Hunter Valley

  • SC Pannell McLaren Vale

  • Scarpantoni Estate McLaren Vale

  • Sew and Sew McLaren Vale

  • Signor Vino Riverina

  • Somos McLaren Vale

  • Surveyor’s Hill Winery Canberra

  • Susuro Port Phillip

  • Sutton Grange Winery Bendigo

  • Thistledown McLaren Vale

  • Trentham Estate Murray Darling

  • View Road Wines Adelaide Hills

  • Wangolina Mt Benson

  • Wines By Farquhar Barossa Valley

  • Witches Falls Winery Queensland Zone

If I have missed any Aussie producers please contact me

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  • A list of recent trophy and medal-winning Aglianico wines made from alternative varieties in Australian wine shows.

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