Wednesday Wines – Episode 94 – A pair of beautiful wines from Basilicata
Episode 94 – A pair of beautiful wines from Basilicata
26th January 2022
I am a huge fan of Feudi di San Gregorio, the elite Campanian winery whose wines have been scattered throughout my wine columns for two decades and whose bottles can be seen on my dining room table with reassuring regularity. Feudi took over Basilisco, a winery found in Basilicata in the showdown of the Vulture volcano, in 2011. The vineyards have been organically certified since 2015, and the wines have been getting better and better as every year passes. A recent tasting highlighted a pair of beauties from the 2019 vintage.
2019 Sophia, Fiano, Basilisco, Basilicata, Italy (£13.54, www.strictlywine.co.uk; £15.88, www.corkingwines.co.uk; £14.00, www.wineman.co.uk).
Made from 100% Fiano and crisply balanced at 12.5% alcohol, this is not a fat, rich, oily Fiano, but an energetic, uplifting version that gains its dramatic stance from its single vineyard site situated at 480m on volcanic/clay soils. Stainless steel and a little lees treatment mean that this is as vital and piercingly fresh as any exciting Fiano out there, and with a couple of years under its belt, the acidity is now tempered enough to allow us to indulge in this beautiful, floral wine without fear! There is an awful lot of fun here for a fifteen quid price point so please be sure to taste this wine.
2019 Teodosio, Aglianico del Vulture, Basilisco, Basilicata, Italy (£14.59, www.allaboutwine.co.uk; £15.65, www.fintrywines.co.uk; £16.10, www.corkingwines.co.uk).
Sophia’s red partner is made from the fascinating Aglianico grape, and while there is a little more intensity here, this is as refreshing and expressive as the white wine above! Teodosio is another organic wine, this time from the heart of the Vulture DOCG, and it sees 10-12 months in third fill French oak barriques. Both of these wines are treated very gently and respectfully in the winery. This philosophy means that unlike legions of Aglianicos that tend to be hard, black and astringent, this wine, named after a Byzantine emperor, is cherry red, cleansing, crisp and keenly dry. It is Pinot shaped with gorgeous Italian bitterness under the crystal clear red fruit. Another beauty, this is a pair to snap up, not least because they are finally showing the promise Feudi saw in this estate and delivering on all of their hard work.
