LLS Portfolio Book

Wines of Southern Italy

The sunbaked extension of the Italian peninsula known as Southern Italy is a lesson in extremes. Jewel-like coastlines give way to towering precipices of volcanic rock. Food preparations are simple but the wines stand with the world’s finest for their poise, longevity, and complexity. The mountainous vineyards of Campania, far from the villas of Capri and the markets of Naples, yield wines from ancient varieties like Aglianico, Falanghina, and Greco thanks to the work of the Mastroberardino family. In neighboring Basilicata, Aglianico vines capable of an entirely di‚erent style of wine fight for sunshine on the slopes of Mt. Vulture. Puglia boasts a trove of gnarled, bushtrained vines that yield dense red wines from native grapes, the most famous of which are Primitivo and Negroamaro. Calabria claims international fame for its bright red chili peppers and rustic cuisine. Here local winemakers like the Librandi family work to revive ancient varieties such as the spicy red Gaglioppo grape. And across the Tyrrhenian Sea, the islands of Sicily and Sardinia are home to grapes and wines found nowhere else on Earth. Sardinia claims the anti-oxidant rich Cannonau grape, made famous in part by the pioneering work of the Argiolas family. Sicily’s native vines are almost countless yet Nero d’Avola has surfaced as the representative varietal of the island, one of the finest expressions of which is the Tasca d’Almerita family’s Rosso del Conte. All of these wines and more reside in Leonardo LoCascio Selections and paint the picture of region that is like no other.

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