An often-heralded rule of thumb for getting the best bang for your wine buck is to check out lesser-known grapes. And now is the perfect time to employ this strategy.
No wine better exemplifies the merits of this guideline than Aglianico (ah-LYAH-nee-koe), a red grape from Southern Italy. Its intense nose of red berry and leather stands up to its chewy tannins and blast of black pepper.
Thanks to its bold flavors, it's a good wine to pair with lamb, roasted meats and Southern Italian standards like pasta puttanesca. But don't let its strength fool you; Aglianico is still smooth as silk on the intake. We can only hope the market will have an equally soft landing.
A few choices for braving this grape:
2005 Feudi di San Gregorio Rubrato Aglianico (pictured, $19) Intense aromas of red berries and baking spices yield to notes of mineral and earth and a smooth finish (unionsquarewines.com).
2005 Alois Campole Aglianico ($25) A dense, deeply colored wine loaded with black fruit, cocoa and a hint of black licorice and pepper (italianwinemerchantstore.com).
2004 Intrepid Aglianico ($18) An earthier, terroir-true Aglianico whose red fruit reveals itself when paired with red meat, especially lamb (franklywines.com).
2004 Elena Fucci Aglianico ($76) Although Aglianico appears four times on the list at dell'anima in the West Village, the one that impresses us the most is this elegant, splurge-worthy bottle that shows nuanced layers of fresh plum and blueberry. dell'anima, 38 Eighth Ave. (between Jane and W. 12th sts.); 212-366-6633 or dellanima.com
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