Jacuzzi Family Vineyards is adding several new varietals to this year’s wine lineup. Get to know their history and flavor profiles, so when you come to taste them, you’ll look like a real pro!
Sagrantino and Aglianico are the first new varietals and will be released in March.
SAGRANTINO
The mysterious dark red, almost black Sagrantino belongs only to the region of Umbria, Italy of which there are only 250 acres planted. Some think it is related to Greek varietals, others insist its heritage is linked to France. The wine often exhibits flavors of blackberry jam, pine, and a contrast between savory and sweet. It’s rich and tannic with tremendous aging potential.
AGLIANICO
Aglianico is Italy’s third regal wine after Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. Enology professor Scienza of the University of Milan believes it is domesticated from a wild vine indigenous to the Italian peninsula dating back to the Bronze Age. Others believe it was transported by the Greeks and that the name is an adaptation of Ellenico (Hellenic in Italian).
Aglianico flourishes on the slopes of Mount Vulture in Basilicata (south of Naples and Mt. Vesuvius). It is regarded as being assertively aromatic, packed with berry flavors, particularly blackberry, and cloaked in wooly tannins (think black tea on your tongue).
