Not long after I joined ABC Fine Wine & Spirits in 1994, my friend and colleague Shayne Hebert shared with us a trophy wine from his private collection. We were at one of our monthly wine consultant meetings at the Orlando corporate office. To this day I'm still not sure what I was more impressed by, Shayne's generosity or the wine itself.

The wine was a large format (3 or 4 liter) bottle of Mastroberardino Radici Riserva Taurasi. I had never tasted a Taurasi before and was not sure what to expect. I knew from studying wine that Taurasi was produced from the Aglianico grape. Aglianico is a black grape grown in the Basilicata and Campania regions of Italy. It originated in Greece and was brought to the south of Italy by Greek settlers. It is rarely seen outside of southern Italy where the warm climates and volcanic soils produce the best Aglianico.

The Mastroberardino family deserves much credit for the commercial success of Aglianico. In fact the first time I tasted this wine, Mastroberardino was the only producer available in the US.

Today much has changed as a new generation of Italian producers are working hard to bring this ancient grape to our shores. One of the rising stars of the region is Tenuta Cavalier Pepe. For several generations the Pepe family has been producing wines made with Aglianico.Their new state of the art winery and devotion to producing wines of the highest quality combine to make this an estate worth seeking out.

The Terra Del Varo Aglianico is a blend of 85% Aglianico and 15% Merlot. It shows aromas of blackberry, red currant and pleasant spicy notes with velvety tannins.

The Opera Mia Taurasi is 100% Aglianico. A full bodied, complex nose of ripe red fruits, dried prunes and spices...brings me back to that first taste of Aglianico many years ago. If you're a fan of bold, powerful, complex red wines, you don't want to miss these.

Paul Quaglini, Wine Supervisor

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