Southern Italian Reds

Southern Italy is home to a lot of wonderful red grapes that most people have never heard of. When customers tell me that they are looking for something different in a red wine, I will often suggest wines from Southern Italy. I may point to an Etna Rosso, and when I reply “Nerello Mascalese” to the question of what’s in an Etna Rosso, I often sense anxiety rather than anxious anticipation. Someone once asked me if I had just made that name up. So, today’s discussion will be about the red grapes of Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, Calabria and Sicily, and the delicious wines made from them.

Let’s start with my favorite – Aglianico. “Aglianico” is something of a phonetic challenge to native English speakers – it’s pronounced “ahl-YAN-ee-ko”). It is widely produced in Campania and Basilicata. Along with Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, it is considered one of the three greatest Italian varietals. Some refer to it as the Barolo of the South, as its wines are rich and powerful full-bodied wines, that are, at the same time, graceful, complex and long-lived. The most notable examples of this grape are those of Taurasi in Campania and Aglianico del Vulture in Basilicata. Finding a good bottle of Taurasi under $35/btl is a challenge, but well worth the reach…at least once. Excellent examples of Aglianico del Vulture can sometimes be found for under $20/btl, and very nice ones, although generally more medium-bodied examples, can be found under $20 from Irpinia in Campania.

Nerello Mascalese is used across Sicily and to a lesser extent in Calabria. Its current reputation is mainly based on the excellent red wine of the Etna DOC. Nerello Mascalese must be at least 80% of the Etna Rosso blend. The balance of the blend is most often Nerello Cappuccio. These wines are fresh and minerally, medium to full-bodied with excellent structure, and they age very nicely. They have become quite popular in recent years, and you can find some very nice examples of Etna Rosso for $15 - $20. These are truly flexible food wines and are a must for your red wine repertoire.

Negroamaro is most widely grown in Puglia and is the primary red grape of that region. It produces rich, medium to full-bodied red wines that offer ample fruit with a slightly bitter and earthy character. Its natural blending partner, Malvasia Nera, adds some additional acidity, intense aromatics and a silky aspect that make these wines real crowd pleasers – particularly those from Salice Salentino.

Nero d’Avola is to Sicily what Negroamaro is to Puglia. Although not related, it shares many characteristics with Syrah, and is often blended with that grape. In Cerasuolo, it is also blended with another Sicilian grape – Frappato. The latter is a light bodied fruity and highly aromatic grape with soft tannins, that nicely offsets the somewhat tannic character of the Nero. The better examples of Nero are usually 60% - 70% Nero, balanced with complementary blending partners.

Primitivo is Puglia’s other red grape. If the name is unfamiliar to you, the wine probably isn’t. Primitivo is genetically identical to Zinfandel. So…if you’ve ever tasted a California Red Zinfandel, then you know Primitivo. Zinfandel/Primitivo is also genetically equivalent to two Croatian grapes -- Crljenak Kaštelanski and Tribidrag (try pronouncing those!). That the latter arrived in Puglia from Croatia where they became Primitivo is a certainty. Did Zinfandel arrive here from Croatia or Italy? No one knows!  

Stop in and put some of these in your shopping cart (ranging in price from $10 - $40, price ascending in each category)—Aglianico: Villa Matilde 2016 Aglianico, Macarico 2017 Aglianico del Vulture; Millettieri 2012 Taurasi; Nerello Mascalese: Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2018 Etna Rosso, Graci 2017 Etna Rosso, Tornatore 2015 Etna Rosso; Negroamaro: Cosimo Taurino 2010 Salice Salentino Riserva; Nero d’Avola: Cusumano 2017 Nero d’Avola, Feudo Montoni 2017 Nero d’Avola, COS 2016 Cerasuolo di Vittoria; Mazzei Zisola 2013 Noto Rosso; Primitivo: Masseria 2017 Primitivo Sasseo, San Marzano 2015 Primitivo di Manduria. – Cheers!