Indigenous grape variety · Cilento · Southern Italy
Aglianicone:
Italy's forgotten
grape variety
Ancient, rare, nearly extinct. Santostasi has been growing it in Pellare for over a century.
Indigenous grape variety · Cilento · Southern Italy
Ancient, rare, nearly extinct. Santostasi has been growing it in Pellare for over a century.
Aglianicone is an ancient black-berried grape variety native to Southern Campania, with deep roots in the Cilento hills and the hinterland of Salerno. Despite the name suggesting a direct kinship with Aglianico, recent genetic studies have established it as an autonomous variety, with only a partially overlapping genetic profile to its more famous cousin.
Its presence is documented as far back as the 18th century in the land registers of the Kingdom of Naples, where it was described as a robust, late-ripening grape well-adapted to the hot, dry clay soils of Cilento. For centuries it was the dominant red variety of the area — until the 20th century, when commercial pressures pushed it to near-extinction.
"A versatile variety capable of producing high-quality wines, with lower tannins than Aglianico and a remarkable balance between acidity and softness."
Through the 20th century, mechanisation of vineyards and the preference for more commercially recognisable varieties pushed Aglianicone to the margins. Local farmers grew it for domestic use, often blended with other varieties; commercial wineries favoured Aglianico, whose name carried greater market recognition.
By the late 1990s, Aglianicone had virtually disappeared from Campanian viticulture. Only a handful of historic family vineyards — among them Santostasi in Pellare — still held original plants, some over a century old.
The two varieties are frequently confused. Here are the main differences:
| Characteristic | Aglianicone | Aglianico |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Cilento, Southern Campania | Campania & Basilicata |
| Genetics | Autonomous variety | Distinct variety |
| Tannins | Medium, silky | High, austere |
| Acidity | Well-integrated | Pronounced |
| Drinkability | More approachable young | Requires long ageing |
| Availability | Extremely rare | Widespread (Taurasi, Aglianico del Vulture) |
Aglianicone in its pure form shows a ruby-red colour with violet hints. The nose is elegant — ripe red fruits (cherry, blackberry), floral notes of violet and dried rose, with gentle spice in the background. Oak-aged versions develop complexity with hints of cocoa, vanilla and sweet tobacco.
On the palate it is balanced and medium-bodied: silky tannins, well-integrated acidity, long finish with spiced persistence. Its most distinctive trait is immediate drinkability — rare among Southern Italian reds, which typically demand years of cellaring.
The Santostasi vineyard is located in Pellare, a small hamlet in the Cilento hills at 550 metres above sea level, in the province of Salerno. The vines were planted by Lorenzo Santostasi's great-grandfather in the early 1900s, when Aglianicone was still the dominant red variety of this part of Cilento.
Production is deliberately limited to around 5,000 bottles per year. No selected yeasts are used — fermentation happens with the indigenous yeasts naturally present on the grape skins, the same strains that have inhabited the vineyard for generations. The result is a wine that genuinely expresses the place it comes from.
The Cilento National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, surrounds the vineyard. The altitude brings marked day-night temperature swings that preserve aromatic freshness and slow ripening — producing the acidity and complexity that define Santostasi's Aglianicone.
Aglianicone Santostasi. Limited production, shipped across Italy. Available for international orders on request.
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