2010 Serpico, Irpinia Aglianico, Feudi San Gregorio, Campania, Italy

Feudi di San Gregorio Winery

Aglianico del Vulture

Aglianico del Vulture DOC encompasses a broad territory north of Potenza in Basilicata stretching towards the Puglian border and centering around the area of the extinct volcano Monte Volture. 

The soils are a mixture volcanic deposits and clay. Aglianico is the sole grape permitted int he appellation and it is believed to have been brought over to Italy from Greece. Its name derives from the Latin Ellenico or Hellenic.

It yields robust, deeply coloured wines that has the potential to improve for many years. Youthful versions of the wine are also available, sometimes semi-sweet and even sparkling, but the dry vecchio or riserva, after ageing in oak casks, is the prime expression of this grape.

Albariño

Albariño is one of the most distinctive white wine grapes in Spain. Its heartlands are in Galacia, in Spain's rain- sodden north-west, and in Portugal`s Vinho Verde region, where it is known as Alvarinho and Cainho Branco. In the past, it was commonly mixed with other local grapes such as Loureiro, Godello, Caiño, Arinto or Treixadura to produce blended wines, but since the mid 1980s the grape's full potential has been realised and appreciated for single varietal bottlings.
 
Its thick skin enables it to withstand the damp climate of Galicia and the subsequent fruit is small, sweet and high in glycerol, producing wines high in alcohol and acidity.

High quality Albariño dominated wines are intensely aromatic and redolent of peaches, apricots and almonds on the palate. They have the ability to age gracefully and many growers are now experimenting with oak maturation. The finest Albariño wines come from the Rias Baixas DOC of Galicia. Albariño is also produced in California wine regions including the Santa Ynez Valley & Los Carneros AVAs.