Basilicata

Overview

Basilicata is Italy's hidden south, a rugged, mountainous region bordered by Calabria and Puglia, with a wild interior and two short coastlines on the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas. Long overlooked by tourists, it is home to one of the country's most exciting wine treasures.

The region's fame rests almost entirely on the volcanic slopes of Monte Vulture, an extinct volcano whose lava-rich soils nurture Aglianico del Vulture. Often called the "Barolo of the South," this wine delivers extraordinary structure, complexity, and longevity, with intense flavors of dark fruit, smoke, and tar.

Though small in production, Basilicata's winemaking scene is growing in confidence. Beyond Vulture, the region produces fresh whites from Malvasia and Greco, while innovative producers continue to reveal the potential of this dramatic, volcanic terroir.

Key Varietals

• AglianicoThe noble grape of the south, producing deeply colored, tannic reds with flavors of blackberry, plum, smoke, and volcanic minerality.
• MalvasiaA fragrant white grape producing aromatic wines with notes of apricot, almond, and white flowers, often blended with Greco.
• GrecoA crisp, mineral white with citrus and saline notes, thriving in Basilicata's high-altitude vineyards and volcanic soils.
• PrimitivoThough more famous in neighboring Puglia, Primitivo also grows here, yielding ripe, full-bodied reds with jammy dark fruit flavors.