Koine Aglianico 2010 750ml

Winery: Koine

Varietal: Aglianico

Aglianico grapes have been cultivated in southern Italy for over two thousand years, and were once a very important grape to the ancient Romans, who adored the deep garnet colored wine it produced. Today, Aglianico grapes are grown in many parts of the world, and thrive best in hot, dry climates, and especially on volcanic soils. As such, they do particularly well in certain parts of the United States, where they are regularly used as a blending wine. Aglianico is a thick skinned black grape, and as such has a high tannin content which makes it ideal for aging The aging process mellows the often harsh tannins in the grape juice, making the wine more balanced and free to reveal flavors and aromas of dark fruits, plum and chocolate. It is also a highly acidic wine, and in some parts of the world is given over to noble rot in order to make an intense and slightly viscous sweet dessert wine.

Region: Puglia

In the very south of Italy, in the heel of the country's 'boot', we find the beautiful and sun drenched region of Puglia. Puglian wines suffered from a poor reputation throughout much of the twentieth century, with the region being generally associated with mass produced wines, more concerned with bulk and quantity than the quality of the produce. However, the past decade has seen a concerted effort on the part of the vintners of Puglia to do away with the region's negative connotations, and Puglian wines have undergone something of a renaissance. With awards and acclaim being piled upon the region, there has never been a better time to explore these characterful, flavorful and deeply exciting wines, packed as they are with big, boisterous dark fruit flavors and interesting attributes.

Country: Italy

Italy is recognised as being one of the finest wine producing countries in the world, and it isn't difficult to see why. With a vast amount of land across the country used primarily for vineyard cultivation and wine production, each region of Italy manages to produce a wide range of excellent quality wines, each representative of the region it is produced in. Any lover of Italian wines will be able to tell you of the variety the country produces, from the deliciously astringent and alpine-fresh wines of the northern borders, to the deliciously jammy and fruit-forward wines of the south and the Italian islands. Regions such as Barolo are frequently compared with Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, as their oak aged red wines have all the complexity and earthy, spicy excellence of some of the finest wines in the world, and the sparkling wines of Asti and elsewhere in Italy can easily challenge and often exceed the high standards put forward by Champagne. Thanks to excellent terrain and climatic conditions, Italy has long since proven itself a major player in the world of wines, and long may this dedication to quality and excellence continue.