WINE NEWS /
Basilicata Cultivates Quality
The growers and winemakers of Basilicata are investing in research
to hone in on quality production; over the last decade, the area
has seen the introduction of 50-60 high-caliber estates entering
the market with their own labels. It seems like a long road for each
generation to develop and improve production, but the results have
already received awards at tastings throughout Italy. In addition
to the traditional ‘Aglianico
del Vulture’ DOC, a tiny
new ‘Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri’ DOC was
recently granted, and a new ‘Matera’ denomination is
currently in the works.
Far from being content with these accomplishments, winemakers like
Elena Fucci, Basilisco, and Paternoster are eagerly working to earn
further recognition. The Minister of Agriculture has launched an
extensive research project that will explore the various factors
that make wine what it is and make the wine of Basilicata unique.
An analysis of the territory itself will help producers to understand
the peculiarities that distinguish each site and give character to
wine, allowing them deftly to pair sites with the particular vines
best suited to them. These vines, indigenous treasures already familiar
to the natives, will also be studied with an eye to strategy for
foreign markets where consumers often forego variety for familiarity;
the integration of well-matched northern Italian varietals could
play a role in this program. Marketing experts will then synthesize
the results to build on the relatively recent international recognition
of Basilicata as a quality wine region. The Regional Society for
Agro-Marketing stressed that the area is not now and does not intend
to become a colossus of winemaking, but will rather cultivate its
small sphere of quality production.
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