Hi Berserkers,
I am a lurker, but here’s my first post. Has anyone travelled around Basilicata in southern Italy to see any wineries? I am going to be down there in January and am looking to do some tastings and winery visits.
Since no one replied ![[help.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/4/4030a9a60185376a7393a78002ce3ec0176e975e.gif "help"){kind=small}
, here is the info on what I saw in Basilicata.
At the time I was in Calabria, more towards the south, so we rented a car and drove up to Rionero in Vulture, which is where Aglianico in Vulture is produced. Unfortunately, being the first week of January, the weather was rainy and a bit chilly.
We had booked a night at the San Marco hotel, which is right in the middle of the very small town, it was a good deal at 60 Euros a night: http://www.hotelsanmarcorionero.it/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Was basic but clean.
We had called ahead to several wineries. Most didn’t want to make appointments, they just told us to come by, that they would be there. This is a little annoying, since it’s not like someone was waiting for us at all of them but such is the Italian way!
The wineries were:
CASA VINICOLA ARMANDO MARTINO - gave us a tour of winery but no tasting, does not even export to the US, doesn’t seem interested in doing so http://www.martinovini.com/" onclick=“window.open(this.href);return false;
TERRA DEI RE - these people were the most hospitable, the nicest, gave us a full tour and we did a full tasting with the enologist, who is a true font of info on the history of the area. They are young, from 2002 I think. Here we tasted a dessert wine made from Aleatico that he has just started producing, it was amazing, like tasting sweet roses! http://www.terradeire.com/home.htm” onclick=“window.open(this.href);return false;
PATERNOSTER - gave us a tour of the winery but no tasting with the enologist, very nice, makes the only biodynamic wine I ran into there. One of the oldest wineries. Haven’t tasted their stuff yet though http://www.paternostervini.it/” onclick=“window.open(this.href);return false;
BASILISCO - in the town of Barile next to Rionero. They gave us a very nice tour, they have restored all of the traditional caves where wine was stored for their aging in bottle. Striking to look at.
D’ANGELO - Also one of the older producers, we met quickly with the owner, they offered no tour or tasting or anything, did not seem equipped for visitors.
CANTINA DEL NOTATIO - One of the friendliest visits, with a very nice young host who was willing to spend time explaining their wines to us. No tasting. We visited their cantina in town rather than their winery because of lack of time. Their rose’ had just won a wine award. http://www.cantinedelnotaio.it/” onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
All in all it was a great trip, with a lot of good wine packed into only two days!
I guess I didn’t see this thread the first time around. Thanks for your report.
I was only in Basilicata once, and then only just across the border from Campania in a little village called Pescopagano, which is best known as the epicenter of the 1980 earthquake and for La Banca Popolare di Pescopagano which grew out of the earthquake.
It was the ancestral home of my FiL at the time. Had a lovely time, but no wine.