Aglianico hails from Campagnia in Italy, and has a reputation for crafting deep red wines, laced with jammy fruit and baked earth.  The vines tend to produce deeply black grapes with a high skin to fruit ratio, leading to massive tannins.  This means that the window to pick the grape is limited, and any rush can result in a lack of sweetness to counterbalance the massive tannins.  While the challenges exist in making Aglianico, the rewards a delicious red wine that is often toward the cheap end of the spectrum compared to other big Italian bruisers like Barolo and Barbaresco.  At only $8, 2012 Epicuro Beneventano Aglianico is more than worth trying, but is it good?  

Sight:  Ruby red with a deep red body, hints of brickish color come through against a watery edge.

Smell:  Huge jammy blackberry notes come through with hints of cooked cherries.  A subtle earthy note loaded with spices join in, but inky black notes of fruit provide the primary inspiration.

Sip:  A touch of bitterness leads off, but a round medium heavy body and strong flavors of blackberry, plum, and currant balance it out.  There are fun elements of earthiness present again, tasting the terroir come through, almost providing a sundrenched heat to the flavor.  The wine is still remarkably bright. [A.B.V. 13%]

Savor:  At the end, it gets rather tannic, begging for food.  The finish is long, and laced with cherries and earth.

Overall,  2012 Epicuro Beneventano Aglianico is a heavily tannic wine that has a good punch of flavor, but not a lot of complexity.  The flavors are none the less delicious, and at $8, the value is substantial.  As food wine goes, 2012 Epicuro Beneventano Aglianico is good wine for Italian dishes and grilled meat thanks to the tannin structure. Give it a try if you’re in the mood for something dark and jammy.

Verdict: Blackberry jam, stewed cherries, earth, spice.
Price: $7.49
Beneventano IGT, Campagnia, Italy