Ep 399: Basilicata, Italy and the Wines of Aglianico del Vulture

<p>Basilicata is a tiny region that represents the arch of the Italy’s boot -the small area that borders Calabria in the west, Puglia in the east, Campania in the north and the Gulf of Taranto in the south.</p> <p><img style= "display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src= "https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/show/45638/Basilicata-1.png" alt= "" width="489" height="343" /></p> <p>In this, Italy’s 3rd least populous region, wine has been made for thousands of years but today, what remains is just 2,006 ha/5,000 acres of vineyards, which is 0.15% of Italy’s total wine production. Of the 2% that is DOC wine, there is a shining star – a wine that can rival the best of the best in all of Italy – Aglianico del Vulture (ahl-LYAh-nee-koh del VOOL-too-ray). In this show we discuss the background of this southern Italian region and discuss the jewel in its crown.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Here are the show notes…</p> <p>We first discuss the location and land of Basilicata</p> <p>In the southern Apennines, Basilicata is the most mountainous region in the south of Italy. 47% is covered by mountains, 45% is hilly, and only 8% is plains. The west is the hillier area, the east runs into flatter land into Puglia. There is a small stretch of coastline between Campania and Calabria and a longer one along the Gulf of Taranto, between Puglia and Calabria.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img style= "display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src= "https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/show/45638/Basil1.png" alt="" width="450" height="298" /><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><em>Photo: Getty Images</em></span></p> <p>We do a good look at the history of Basilicata, but the highlights are:</p> <ul> <li>People (or really ancestors of modern people) have inhabited the area since Paleolithic times. Matera is considered one of the oldest continuous civilizations in the world. Its Sassi district, which has now become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has caves on a rocky hillside that were inhabited by people as far back as the