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34-580: The origins of both the vine itself and its name are unclear. Traditionally, the vine is thought to have originated in Greece , first cultivated by Phocians from an unidentified ancestral vine; it was then brought to Cumae , near modern-day Pozzuoli , by Greek settlers in the 8th century BC, and from there it spread into southern Italy . However, modern DNA analysis of Aglianico does not support this view, revealing little relation to other Greek grape varieties. Its parentage also remains unknown, implying that it

68-456: A classification is outdated now that modern yeast and viticulture can produce dry wines over 15% without fortification (and German dessert wines can contain half that amount of alcohol). Makers of dessert wines want to produce a wine containing high levels of both sugar and alcohol. Since all winemaking creates alcohol from fermentation of sugars they are typically traded off. However, there are many ways to increase relative sugar levels in

102-635: A long time to ferment. The resulting wines are very sweet, but balanced by their acidity. The minuscule yields mean they tend to be very expensive. The most famous are German Eiswein and Canadian Icewine, but ice wines are also made in the United States, Austria , Croatia , Czech Republic , Slovakia , Slovenia , Hungary , Italy , Australia , France and New Zealand in smaller quantities. The primary distinction between botrytized wines and other non-fortified sweet wines, such as late-harvest wines, ice wines (eiswein), or straw wines, lies in

136-512: A notable feature of botrytized wines is their high acid content, which prevents them from tasting cloying , even with sugar levels often exceeding 200 g/l Some of the most famous dessert wines, such as Tokaji Aszú of Tokaj-Hegyalja in Hungary , Château d'Yquem of Sauternes , and Seewinkel of Austria, are made using grapes mouldy with Botrytis cinerea , which sucks water out of the grape whilst imparting flavours of honey and apricot to

170-513: Is currently out of fashion. But most of the Muscats of ancient times were probably made this way, including the famous Constantia of South Africa. Honey was added to wine in Roman times, for sweetness and to increase the final strength of the wine. Today sugar is usually added in order to boost the alcohol levels of flabby, unripe wines rather than for sweetness, although a degree of chaptalization

204-471: Is likely to be endemic to its region. If Aglianico was imported to Italy from Greece, no original Greek plantings have persisted. The name first appeared in print as the feminine plural Aglianiche in 1520, and several etymological theories persist. The name may be a corruption of vitis hellenica ( Latin for 'Greek vine'), or of Apulianicum , the Latin name for the whole of southern Italy in

238-586: Is much too tannic to make a worthwhile dessert wine , the presence of this noble rot in the vineyard is more of a viticultural hazard than an advantage. The grape has a tendency to ripen late, with harvests as late as November in some parts of southern Italy. If the grape is picked too early, or with excessive yields , the grape can be aggressively tannic. The vine seems to thrive in particularly volcanic soils . Wines produced from Aglianico tend to be full- bodied with firm tannins and high acidity , endowing them with good aging potential. The rich flavors of

272-588: Is one of the oldest wine - producing regions in the world and among the first wine-producing territories in Europe. The earliest evidence of Greek wine has been dated to 6,500 years ago where wine was produced on a household or communal basis. In ancient times, as trade in wine became extensive, it was transported from end to end of the Mediterranean; Greek wine had especially high prestige in Italy under

306-457: Is permitted in the wines of many countries. German wines must declare whether they are 'natural' or not; in any case, chaptalization is banned from the top tiers of German wines. The 'reserve of sweetness' is a German technique in which unfermented must (grape juice) is added to the wine after fermentation. This increases the sweetness of the final wine and dilutes the alcohol somewhat—in Germany

340-569: Is unique because it is a raisin wine that is then fortified and aged in a solera system like other sweet wine from Andalucia. Other sweet sherries (is a blend wine) such as Bristol Cream may also be drunk as dessert wine. The production of vins doux naturels was perfected by Arnaud de Villeneuve at the University of Montpellier in the 13th century. They are now quite common in the Languedoc-Roussillon of southwest France. As

374-467: Is where it was first produced. Germany may have later discovered the same process independently. Noble rot is responsible for many other dessert wines, including Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) of the German wine classification , French Monbazillac , Austrian Beerenauslese, Ausbruch and other TBA-type wines from all over the world. A general rule is that the wine should be sweeter than

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408-660: The Mediterranean , wine culture followed. The Ancient Greeks introduced vines such as Vitis vinifera and made wine in their numerous colonies in Italy , Sicily , southern France , and Spain . In 1937, a Wine Institute was established by the Ministry of Agriculture. During the 1960s, retsina suddenly became the national beverage. With rapidly growing tourism, retsina became associated worldwide with Greece and Greek wine. Greece's first Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard

442-568: The Roman Empire . In the medieval period, wines exported from Crete , Monemvasia and other Greek ports fetched high prices in northern Europe. The origins of wine -making in Greece go back 6,500 years and evidence suggesting wine production confirm that Greece is home to the second oldest known grape wine remnants discovered in the world and the world's earliest evidence of crushed grapes. As Greek civilization spread through

476-534: The Campanian wine grape Aglianicone is not a clonal mutation of Aglianico but DNA analysis does suggest a close genetic relationship between the two varieties. In Basilicata, Aglianico is the basis of the Aglianico del Vulture DOC and the region's only DOCG wine, Aglianico del Vulture Superiore , concentrated in the northern area of the province of Potenza . The most sought-after productions come from

510-768: The Grenaches less so. In ancient Carthage, a sweet wine called passum was made from air-dried grapes and across the Malta Channel from the site of Carthage similar wines are still made, called Moscato Passito di Pantelleria. Such wines were described by the Romans. Northern Italy is home to a number of 'passito' wines, where the grapes are dried on straw, on racks, or hung from the rafters. These wines include Vin Santo (into which almond biscuits, ' cantucci ', are traditionally dunked), Sciachetrà, Recioto di Soave (drunk with

544-599: The Hungarians and the Germans have similar stories of how the harvest was delayed for some reason, but the mouldy grapes were vinified anyway and then found to be delicious. Given that propensity to noble rot was a factor in Hungarian vineyard demarcations some 50 years before a messenger was supposedly mugged on his way to Schloss Johannisberg in Germany and aszú inventory predates it by about 200 years, Hungary's Tokaj

578-565: The United Kingdom, are sweet wines typically served with dessert . There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white fortified wines ( fino and amontillado sherry ) drunk before the meal and the red fortified wines ( port and madeira ) drunk after it. Thus, most fortified wines are regarded as distinct from dessert wines, but some of

612-427: The extensive range and richness of aroma compounds generated by Botrytis cinerea fungal infection of the grapes. Significant differences are also evident in other components, like glycerol and acid composition, due to microbial activity. Descriptors frequently used for these wines highlight flavours of peach, apricot, pear, quince, raisin, and honey, along with unique "botrytis" or roti characteristics. Additionally,

646-626: The final wine can contain no more than 15% Süssreserve by volume. Süssreserve allows winemakers to fully ferment the wine without having to worry about stopping fermentation before all the sugar has gone. Since sulphites are used to stop fermentation, this technique reduces the usage of sulphites. Süssreserve is used by other makers of German-style wines, particularly in New Zealand . The main fortified wines drunk with dessert are sweet Montilla-Moriles & sherry , particularly Pedro Ximénez , and vins doux naturels. The Pedro Ximenez dessert wine

680-434: The final wine: In the absence of other techniques, makers of dessert wine have to produce their sugar in the vineyard. Some grape varieties, such as Muscat , Ortega and Huxelrebe , naturally produce much more sugar than others. Environmental conditions have a big effect on ultimate sugar levels; the vigneron can help by leaving the grapes on the vine until they are fully ripe , and by green harvesting and pruning to expose

714-410: The food it is served with—a perfectly ripe peach has been described as the ideal partner for many dessert wines, whereas it makes sense not to drink wine at all with many chocolate- and toffee-based dishes. Red dessert wines like Recioto della Valpolicella and fortified wines like the vin doux naturel Muscats are the best matches for such difficult-to-pair desserts. Alternatively, the wine itself can be

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748-509: The future wine. The fungus requires specific conditions to produce noble rot ; if it is too damp, the same fungus causes destructive grey rot . Vignerons endeavour to maximise the amount of noble rot without losing the whole crop to grey rot. Typically, noble rot forms best in conditions with regular morning mist , normally from a nearby lake or the sea. The wait for noble rot to form means these wines are usually harvested late . The first noble rot wines were likely created by accident—both

782-472: The less-strong fortified white wines, such as Pedro Ximénez sherry and Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise , are regarded as honorary dessert wines. In the United States, by contrast, a dessert wine is legally defined as any wine over 14% alcohol by volume , which includes all fortified wines—and is taxed more highly as a result. This dates back to when the US wine industry only made dessert wines by fortification, but such

816-672: The local version of panettone ) and the sweet red Recioto della Valpolicella (which stands up to chocolate better than most wine). Across the Alps, the French make 'straw wine' ( vin de paille ) in the Jura, Rhone and Alsace ; the Spanish start off making a raisin wine with Pedro Ximénez before fortifying it; the Cypriots have their ancient Commandaria ; and there have been recent experiments with

850-409: The names suggest, Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise , Muscat de Rivesaltes , Muscat de Frontignan , Muscat de Lunel , Muscat de Mireval and Muscat de St-Jean Minervois are all made from the white Muscat grape, whilst Banyuls and Maury are made from red Grenache . Regardless of the grape, fermentation is stopped with up to 10% of 95% grape spirit. The Muscats are made in a somewhat oxidised style,

884-1090: The principal grape of Falerno del Massico . The grape has also recently been planted in Australia and California , as it thrives in predominantly sunny climates with a long ripening season. In Australia it is being introduced in the Murray Darling region with some success. Producers in McLaren Vale , Margaret River , Mudgee and Riverland are also experimenting with plantings. Elsewhere in North America, it has been trialled in Texas and Arizona, and in Ontario , Canada. The Aglianico vine buds early and grows best in dry climates with generous amounts of sunshine. It has good resistance to outbreaks of oidium , but can be very susceptible to Peronospora . It also has low resistance to botrytis , but since it

918-510: The style in South Africa and the US . Most wine laws require temperatures below at most −7 °C (19 °F) before the grapes for ice wine can be picked. At such temperatures, some water in the grapes freezes but the sugars and other solids remain dissolved in the remaining juice. If the grapes are pressed while frozen, a very concentrated must can result, which needs special yeast and

952-1274: The tannins more balanced with the rest of the wine. The trademark coloring of the wine is a deep garnet . In well made examples of the wine, it can have chocolate and plum aromas. Aglianico is also known under the following synonyms: Aglianco di Puglia, Aglianica, Aglianica De Pontelatone, Aglianichella, Aglianichello, Aglianico Amaro, Aglianico Comune, Aglianico Crni, Aglianico del Vulture, Aglianico di Benevento, Aglianico di Castellaneta, Aglianico di Lapio, Aglianico di Taurasi, Aglianico Femminile, Aglianico Liscio, Aglianico Mascolino, Aglianico Nero, Aglianico Noir, Aglianico Pannarano, Aglianico Trignarulo, Aglianico Tringarulo, Aglianico Verase, Aglianico Zerpoluso, Aglianico Zerpuloso, Aglianicone, Aglianicuccia, Agliano, Agliantica, Agliatica, Agliatico, Agnanico, Agnanico di Castellaneta, Alianiko, Cascavoglia, Cassano, Cerasole, Ellanico, Ellenica, Ellenico, Fiano Rosso, Fresella, Gagliano, Gesualdo, Ghiandara, Ghianna, Ghiannara, Glianica, Gnanica, Gnanico, Granica, Granico, Hellanica, Malvasia, Olivella, Olivella di San Cosmo, Pie di Colombo, Prie Blanc, Ruopolo, Spriema, Tintora, Tintora di Cerinola, Tringarulo, Uva Aglianica, Uva Castellaneta, Uva dei Cani, Uva di Castellaneta, Uva Nera, Zuccherina. Greek wine Greece

986-421: The time of ancient Rome . However, since there is also no record of the name Aglianico prior to the fifteenth century Spanish conquest of southern Italy, another possible origin of the name is from llano ( Spanish for 'plain') denoting a grape grown on the plains. Oenologist Denis Dubourdieu has said "Aglianico is probably the grape with the longest consumer history of all", claiming that Aglianico

1020-582: The vineyards located in and around the extinct volcano Mount Vulture . In Campania, the area in and around the village of Taurasi in the Province of Avellino and the area around the Monte del Taburno in the Province of Benevento produce Aglianico wines bearing the DOCG designation. Taurasi was designated DOCG in 1993, and Aglianico del Taburno in 2011. More Aglianico can be found in the province of Caserta, as

1054-400: The wine make it appropriate for pairing with rich meats such as lamb . In Campania, the grape is sometimes blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the production of some Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) wines. In its youth, Aglianico is very tannic and concentrated, requiring a few years of ageing before it can be approachable. As it ages, the fruit becomes more pronounced and

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1088-510: The young grapes to the sun. Green harvesting reduces the number of bunches on a vine early in the summer, so that the sugar production of the leaves is divided between fewer bunches. While the vigneron cannot control the sun, a sunny year regulates sugar levels. The semi-sweet Auslese wines in the German wine classification are probably the best example of this approach; most modern winemakers perceive that their customers want either fully dry or 'properly' sweet dessert wines, so 'leave it to nature'

1122-460: Was planted in 1963. In 1971 and 1972, legislation established appellation laws. A system of appellations was implemented to assure consumers the origins of their wine purchases. The appellation system categorizes wines as: The main wine growing regions – so called appellations of Greece – are: Greece has approximately 200 vine varieties: Red wine White wine Dessert wine Dessert wines , sometimes called pudding wines in

1156-585: Was used to make the Falernian wine famed during Roman times. Along with the white grape Greco (used to make the famous Greco di Tufo wine), the red grape of the region was regarded favourably by Pliny the Elder . Traces of the vine have been found in Molise , Apulia , and also on the island of Procida near Naples , although it is no longer widely cultivated in those places. Despite the similarities in naming,

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