Vigneti del Vulture is located in Basilicata, the heart of the Italian wine region known as Aglianico del Vulture which gets its name from the nearby inactive volcano, Monte Vulture. The region is known for powerful red wines with firm structures and rich, elegant layers of flavor. “The eruptions of the past centuries leave on the ground a lava from the wealth of minerals that give the grapes a great complexity” explains chief winemaker Dennis Verdecchia. Verdecchia trained in New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa before finding a home with Vigneti alongside consulting winemaker Alberto Antonini, the pair complementing each other’s skills and expertise.

As with many great wines of the world, the sourcing of the grapes is the first step, and Verdecchia is meticulous when working with his team to get the best possible fruit: “The Aglianico del Vulture red comes from very old vineyards on volcanic soils…[we have] selected the oldest vines of over 70 years old around Mount Vulture at 800 meters above sea level.” The high altitude helps concentrate aromas and complexity in the grapes and resulting wines.

Once in the winery, a gentle style of vinification is employed to avoid overly aggressive tannin in the final wines. Verdecchia compared the process to making wine with delicate, thin-skinned pinot noir grapes, to achieve a softer and more elegant style of wines with serious aging potential.

The commitment to quality in the vineyards along with open mindedness in the winery have made Vigneti one of the premier producers of the region. In addition to classic red wines they produce whites and roses, with plans to branch out even more in the future. “We are making a rosé wine with ‘onion skin colour’ for markets that prefer a light color. We have also tried to get a white wine from black grapes with surprising results,” elaborates Verdecchia.