Red grape variety
Aglianico
Southern Italy’s most structured red variety, producing tannic, savoury, ageworthy wines in Campania and Basilicata.
What is Aglianico?
Aglianico ripens very late — often into November — and combines high tannin with high acidity, which makes it forbidding when young and long-lived when given time.
Taurasi in Campania and Aglianico del Vulture in Basilicata are the two benchmark expressions, both grown at altitude on volcanic soils.
The comparison to Barolo is frequently made and is fair on structure: both need years, both are savoury rather than fruity, and both reward patience.
Southern Italy, long assumed to be of Greek origin though the evidence for that is weaker than the tradition suggests.
The Vitis International Variety Catalogue, maintained by the Julius Kühn Institute, holds this variety as accession 121 under the prime name AGLIANICO, with berry skin colour noir and country of origin italy. Checked 2026-08-17.
What it tastes like
This is the envelope across every expression of Aglianico, not a description of one bottle. Wide ranges are the honest answer.
| Dimension | Typical | Range | Variation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetness | low | Consistent | |
| Acidity | high | Some variation | |
| Tannin | high | Some variation | |
| Alcohol | medium-plus | Some variation | |
| Body | medium-plus | Some variation | |
| Fruit intensity | medium | Some variation | |
| Aromatic intensity | medium | Consistent | |
| Oak influence | medium | Some variation | |
| Savoury character | medium-plus | Some variation | |
| Floral character | low | Consistent | |
| Herbal / green character | low | Consistent | |
| Spice | medium | Some variation | |
| Earthy character | medium-plus | Some variation | |
| Perceived freshness | medium-plus | Some variation | |
| Texture | medium | Some variation |
Common flavours
Wines made from it
The same grape in different places and different hands. These are where the wide ranges above resolve into something specific.
Where it grows
- Taurasi — Italy
- Aglianico del Vulture — Italy
- Campania — Italy
If you like Aglianico, try…
Every suggestion says why it is connected and what will be different.
Closest matches
What is most like this?
Nebbiolo
Both are extremely tannic, high-acid, savoury Italian reds that demand ageing.
More perfumed and paler, and considerably more expensive.
Sangiovese
A shared Italian savoury, high-acid character in a more approachable frame.
Lighter and softer, ready to drink much sooner.
Mourvèdre
Comparable weight, tannin and savoury, meaty depth.
Lower in acid and more gamey.
Similar but lighter
Something like this, but lighter?
Red Burgundy
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more floral.
Pinot Noir
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more floral.
Spätburgunder (German Pinot Noir)
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and less spicy.
Similar but lower in alcohol
Something like this, but less alcoholic?
Red Burgundy
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more floral.
Cru Beaujolais
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect it to be less tannic and softer, and more floral.
Mondeuse Noire
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect it to be cleaner and more fruit-focused, and less oaky.
Similar but fuller
Something like this, but richer?
Priorat
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be softer and rounder, and rounder and creamier in texture.
Ribera del Duero
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be softer and rounder, and less tannic and softer.
Douro red
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be more floral, and softer and rounder.
What to eat with it
Ranked by WineHQ's pairing engine, which reasons from the structure of the dish.
Roast chicken
Works because the protein and fat in the dish soften the tannin and let the fruit show.
Fillet steak
Works because the finished dish, not the raw ingredient, sets the target.
Pork
Works because the protein and fat in the dish soften the tannin and let the fruit show.
Chicken with lemon
Works because the dish is acidic, and a lower-acid wine would taste flat beside it.
Goat cheese
Works because the dish is acidic, and a lower-acid wine would taste flat beside it.
Hummus
Works because the dish is acidic, and a lower-acid wine would taste flat beside it.
What to avoid with it
Dishes the pairing engine scores badly, and the principle that explains why. A short list: most things are fine.
How to serve it
Temperature
16–18°C
61–64°F · Cool room temperature
Most modern rooms are warmer than this. Twenty to thirty minutes in the fridge before serving usually gets a red into range.
Decanting
Worth decanting
Young, firmly tannic wine often softens noticeably with an hour of air — the most reliable case for decanting.
Glass
Bordeaux glass
A taller, narrower bowl directs a tannic wine past the front of the palate. The effect is real but modest.
Ageing
Structured wines made from this grape commonly improve with age, though everyday bottlings do not.
Taurasi commonly needs eight to ten years and the best examples last for thirty; Aglianico del Vulture, grown on volcanic soils in Basilicata, is similarly structured. The combination of high tannin and high acidity makes young Aglianico genuinely severe, which is why the appellations require extended ageing before release.
Compare
- Nebbiolo vs Aglianico — Italy’s two great tannic reds, one northern and one southern — which suits you?
Sources
Sources consulted
- Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) — Julius Kühn-Institut, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof
- Italian DOP and IGP wine register — Ministero dell’agricoltura, della sovranità alimentare e delle foreste (MASAF)