2021 Paternoster Falanghina Vulcánico, Italy, Basilicata IGT, Wine Review

Southern Italy is a great source of value in wine. This one is from the arch in the foot of the boot - a region called Basilicata. The predominant feature on the landscape is Mt. Vulture, an extinct volcano, hence the name of the wine. Falanghina is a white grape more known for the wines from Campania, but this is a really nice one, too. Light golden with lots of green hues, clear and bright. The nose has lemon-lime, minerality and a light, smoked note. Medium bodied. Lovely texture. On the palate, this is a round wine with no hard edges. Easy to drink. Some apple notes along with a bit of lemon-lime. Long finish. This is nice on its own but better with food. Baked pasta with veggies is a great choice. Drink over the next few years.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2021

Current Price:

$20.00USD

Aglianico del Vulture: The Basilicata Region Produces One of the Great Undiscovered Wines of Italy

All the way down at the southern end of Italy, in the arch of the boot, is the region of Basilicata. It is sparsely populated with sturdy peoples of very old traditions. The people who reside there often call their region by the ancient Roman name of Lucanta. The wine making and drinking traditions there predate Rome. One of the oldest and best wines made there is from the Aglianico grape. It is called Aglianico del Vulture. In fact, it is one of the great-undiscovered wines of Italy. This is most likely due to the isolated position of Basilicata and lack of tourism.

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Italy's Molise Wine Region: Where Di Majo Norante Shines

Perhaps the most obscure wine making region in all of Italy is the region of Molise. Molise is surrounded by Abruzzo, Lazio, Campania, and Apulia. Until 1963, the region of Molise was part of the same political region as Abruzzo ( Montepulciano d’Abruzzo was discussed in a previous article). In fact, the food and traditions here are closely associated with Abruzzo. Yet, its closeness to both Apulia and Campania lend it a bit of a southern influence. The wines of Molise achieved their own independence in the 1980’s with the creation of two DOCs: Biferno (named after the largest river in Molise) and Pentro di Isernia. These hillside areas receive wonderful sunshine and are sandwiched between the Apennines Mountains and the Adriatic Sea. Biferno wines can be red, white or rosé. The whites are predominantly made from the Trebbiano grape along with the Bombino in smaller proportions. The reds are a blend of mostly Montepulciano with some of the Aglianico grape. Wines from Pentro di Isernia can also be red, white or rosé. The whites are the same Trebbiano-Bombino grape blend, while the reds (and rosé’s) are usually a blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese. More recently, in 1968 a DOC also called Molise was created. This DOC encompasses the region and allows for white, red, rosé and even sparkling wines.

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Italian Wine Regions: An Introduction

Italian wine regions and areas can be classified multiple times over, depending on the area, the climate, the history, the grapes, and through an infinite number of other ways. The following description of 7 Italian regions is meant to provide a basic guide, which will be supplemented in articles to come. The 7 regions consist of Veneto and Piedmont (to the North), Tuscany, Campania, Apulia, and the islands of Sardinia and Sicily (to the South).

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Cirò: Calabria's Ancient Wine from the Toe of Southern Italy's Boot

The region of Calabria is the proverbial toe in the boot shape of Italy with a long history. Its first name was, in fact, Italia most likely derived from the Italic tribes who inhabited the region. They in turn most likely took their name from the word vituli which was the local word for the numerous caves which dot the mountainous area. The Greeks then came to the area bringing the art of winemaking. They called the area Enotria which meant “land where the vine is cultivated high above the earth.” There are records from the 4th century B.C. which indicate a vineyard in this area was worth six times the value of the same size field planted with grains. In fact, there is a group of people living today called the Grecanici who allegedly trace their roots back to Odysseus and the survivors of the Trojan War. The area was named Calabria in the 7th century by the Byzantines.

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DOC, DOCG, IGT and VdLT: Wine Label Alphabet Soup

This may be a good time to take a step back from discussing the specific wines of Italy and discuss some of the terms that others and I have been bandying about in these articles. More importantly, this discussion will be useful when trying to read the label on a bottle of Italian wine that you may be contemplating either buying or drinking. Specifically, I would like to address the Italian wine laws that create classifications for wines based upon geographical location.

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2021 Paternoster Falanghina Vulcánico, Italy, Basilicata IGT, Wine Review

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Aglianico del Vulture: The Basilicata Region Produces One of the Great Undiscovered Wines of Italy

Italy's Molise Wine Region: Where Di Majo Norante Shines

Italian Wine Regions: An Introduction

Cirò: Calabria's Ancient Wine from the Toe of Southern Italy's Boot

DOC, DOCG, IGT and VdLT: Wine Label Alphabet Soup