If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Bascilicata region of southern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

Bascilicata is the instep of the Italian boot. This hilly and mountainous region is located in the southwest corner of on the Ionian Sea. Parts of Bascilicata have been settled since the Stone Age. It was conquered by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Normans. When the pirates came, the local inhabitants were forced to flee into the interior. Historically the region is quite poor. Its population is slightly more than 600 thousand.

Agriculture products include barley, citrus fruit, corn, potatoes, oats, olives, and tomatoes. While meat is relatively scarce, more and more sheep, pigs, goats, and cattle are raised. There is some industry including a major FIAT (automobile) factory. Tourism is becoming more popular, in spite of, and perhaps in part because of a lack of infrastructure.

Bascilicata’s administrative center is Potenza, a city of about 70 thousand. It is known as the coldest city in and sometimes has snow. The city of Matera has at least two reasons to be proud. In September, 1943 it was the first Italian city to rise up against the German occupation. And Matera contains a prehistoric settlement, caves that have been occupied by people for at least 9 thousand years. In some places, the streets are actually rooftops. Parts of this area are now classified as a World Heritage Site.

Bascilicata devotes about 60 thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 17th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is less than 13 million gallons, also giving it a 17th place. About 73% of the wine production is red, leaving 27% for white. The region produces two DOC wines, Aglianico del Vulture, reviewed below, and Terre dell Alta Val d’Agri. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. Only 2.4% of Bascilicata wine carries the DOC designation. Bascilicata is home to about two dozen major and secondary grape varieties, half red and half white.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Malvasia and Muscato. The best-known strictly Italian white variety is Malvasia Bianca di Basilicato. Virtually no Bascilicata white wine is exported to North America.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are international red grape varieties that compose the Terre dell Alta Val d’Agri DOC wine. The best-known Italian red variety is Aglianico, which may have actually originated in Greece.

Before we reviewing the Bascilicata wine and Italian cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what

Ragusa, Sicily - Luxury Villa with Pool for Sale

Luxury Villa with Pool and Olive trees

Newly renovated Villa - The transformed accommodation comprise of a two bedroom main house on two levels, incorporating the original dry-stone wall farmhouse and a new 50m2 open-plan kitchen and living area extension. Additionally, a separate, self-contained 1 bedroom guest apartment, complete with 15m swimming pool, courtyard & shower room will enjoy panoramic views over the endless countryside.
The property sits in a 2 hectare plot of farmland, with a lot of olives and vine trees.

€ 770,000

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Palmoli, Chieti - Stonehouse to be Restored

Palmoli - Country House to be restored

Palmoli, ancient village in the inner land with breathtaking views of the countryside, an ancient stone countryhouse to be restored and surrounded by 50.000 sq.m of agricultural land. The house is on two levels comprising one room per floor. Amazing views!

€ 25,000

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Palmoli, Chieti - Stonehouse to be Restored

Palmoli - Stone Country House

Palmoli, ancient village in the inner land with breathtaking views of the countryside,a typical stonehouse to be restored surrounded by 5500 sq.m of agricultural land. The house is on two levels comprising three rooms per floor. Enchanting view.

€ 35,000

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Rapino, Abruzzo - Townhouse in need of Restoration

Townhouse with Garden and Terrace in need of renovation

Rapino, an historical town of about 1,457 inhabitants situated in Majella National Park, in the province of Chieti, Abruzzo region, at 400 mt. above the sea level. The property we propose for sale is an ancient stone house on one level, surrounded by 750 sq.m of garden. It is in need of complete restoration and comprises one room. Sound stone structure.

€ 50,000

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Rapino, Abruzzo - Townhouse in need of Restoration

Ancient Townhouse - Rapino, Abruzzo

Rapino,an historical town of about 1,457 inhabitants situated in Majella National Park, in the province of Chieti, Abruzzo region, at 400 mt. above the sea level. The property we propose for sale is an ancient attached townhouse on two levels, surrounded by 60 sq.m of garden. It is in need of complete restoration and comprises two rooms per floor, including kitchen with fireplace on the ground floor, two rooms and bathroom on the upstairs floor. Sound stone structure. Amazing view for people who love nature and peaceful location

€ 35,000

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Montemitro, Molise - Country House for Sale

Montemitro, Molise - Country House

In Montemitro, 508 mt above sea level, we propose for sale a habitable countryhouse that is surrounded by 70.000 sq.m of agricultural land, with olive trees and wood, well furnishing water to the whole property. The house is on two levels and is composed as follows:

Ground floor with 45 sq.m garage made of stones, two stone cellar. The house on the upstairs floor comprises large kitchen with fireplace and oven, two bedrooms and bathroom with shower. The attic has to be completed.

€ 260,000

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Country House with Land for Sale - Villa Santa Maria, Chieti

Villa Santa Maria - Country House with Land

Villa Santa Maria, a lovely village located in the Sangro river Valley, a village famous all over the world because of its Hotellerie School. We propose for sale a lovely countryhouse surrounded by 3000 sq.m of agricultural land with amazing view of the valley and Bomba lake.
The property comprises a habitable house in need of renovation works since nobody has been living there for ten years and a rustic in need of complete restoration works.
The habitable house is on two levels + attic and is composed as follows:
Groundfloor comprising hall, 4 rooms, attached brick rustic kitchen (no bathroom but ready plumber system to make it!);
First floor comprises 4 rooms and two bathrooms. The detached rustic is in need of complete restoration works and is on two levels, 100 sq.m per floor. The attic can be converted into two rooms. Possibility to build a terrace!!!

€ 170,000

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Casalanguida, Abruzzo - Townhouse for Sale

Casalanguida - Townhouse

Lovely detached property in the heart of Casalanguida
The house has accomodations on two levels: ground floor with a kitchen doted of fireplace and first floor with a bedroom.
Totally made of stone with panoramic view. Only 25 Km from the beach.

12,000 euros

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Casalbordino, Abruzzo - Villa 10km to Sea for Sale

Casalbordino - Villa - 10km to Sea

Casalbordino along one of the most beautiful marinas this country has to offer. We are proposing to you is a country house to be renovated and surrounded by 30 hectares of land. A new road will be built to create direct communication with Casalbordino Lido, lovely sea resort town.
The house is on two levels + attic and is composed as follows:
Ground floor comprises 6 rooms used to be storages, stables, cellar
First floor comprises 5 rooms , bathroom and store room.
Attic comprises 3 rooms.

500,000 euros

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Pollutri, Abruzzo - Restoration Property for Sale

Pollutri - Restoration Property

House in the heart of Pollutri! property which consists of: on the ground floor there's a kitchen; on the first floor there's one room and on the second floor there's a further room.The house is made of brick.

18,000 euros

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Pollutri, Abruzzo - Country House for Sale

Pollutri - Country House

country house in the tranquil area of Pollutri! We propose for sale a lovely attached country house surrounded by 6400 sq.m. of hilly land which has been always used as a vineyard. It consists of: on the ground floor there are a kitchen with a fire place and a basement with an access to the box garage behind the house and on the first floor there's one bedrooom. The property has an amazing view and it is made of brick.

95,000 euros

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Pollutri, Abruzzo - Townhouse for Sale

Pollutri - Townhouse

Pollutri- house at a few Km from the splendid Abruzzo beaches! We propose for sale a property on three levels which consists of: on the ground floor there there are one bedroom, a living room, a small kitchen and one bathroom; on the first floor there are two bedrooms; on the second floor there's a further bedroom. On the third floor there's a small attic.The house is available for immediate occupation!

65,000 euros

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Pollutri, Abruzzo - Townhouse for Sale

Pollutri - Townhouse

Pollutri - for sale a lovely attached town house in the heart of the village. It consists of: on the ground floor there are a kitchen with a fireplace, one bathroom and a utility room under a flight of steps; on the first floor there's one bedroom.
The house is available for immediate occupation!

22,000 euros

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Pollutri, Chieti - Townhouse in need of restoration

Townhouse - Pollutri

Town house in the peaceful location of Pollutri, just a few kms from the sea. The property consists of: on the ground floor there's one room; on the first floor there's a further room and on the split level there's a box garage with a large fireplace. Spectacular view.
This lovely property is made of brick which makes it a lot more characteristic!

33,000 euros

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Pennadomo, Abruzzo - Cottage with lakeview

Cottage with Lakeview - Pennadomo

Amazing cottage with a self contained annexe, surrounded by 10,000 sq.m. of garden plot and close to a grove and a beautiful lake called Lake of Bomba. This property is available for immediate occupation and it consists of: ground floor with kitchen doted of fireplace and oven, spacious living room; first floor with two bedrooms and one bathroom. There's also a self contained annexe with kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.Wonderful lake view!

160,000 euros

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to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region.
Start with Acgua e Sale, Soaked Bread with Sweet Onion, Tomato, and Basil. Then try Grano con Ragù de Maiale, Savory Pork Ragout.
For dessert indulge yourself with Grano Dolce, Plump Wheat with Pomegranate, Chocolate, and Nuts.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Cantine di Palma DOC ‘Il Nibbio Grigio’ Aglianico Vulture 2000 13% alcohol about $14

Let’s start with the marketing materials. “Medium ruby in color with aromas of dried berries, leather, figs, dried flowers and spice. This medium-bodied wine has a rustic style, it’s quite assertive on the palate with some dusty tannins. It would be great with lamb chops or braised pork ribs and could reward 2-3 years further cellaring. (August 2005).”

This was a wine that I was rooting for, prior to opening the bottle. It is a hard life for many people in Bascilicata; perhaps that’s why the residents live longer than in most other Italian regions. But I didn’t have to cheat to like this wine. Interestingly enough, my supplier has dropped the price by $2 a bottle, which may be a first for the wines in this series. I might buy a half case and taste it over the years. And now to my review.

The first pairing was with meat balls and potatoes. The wine had a fine nose. It was quite full-bodied, and tasted of tobacco (I’m not a smoker) and cherries. While the wine was very pleasant it was shorter than I had hoped. It was quite enjoyable on its own.

My reactions were basically the same when tasting this wine with beef ribs, except that the wine was moderately long. It was easy to drink but not light.

Then I drank this wine with a grilled rib steak in my spicy, homemade barbeque sauce that included ketchup, Dijon-style mustard, horseradish, fresh garlic, and black pepper. The accompaniments included potatoes cooked in chicken fat (a specialty of a local supermarket) and a tomato and red pepper salsa. The wine was really excellent. It held up well and tasted of dark fruit and tobacco.

I didn’t have any Bascilicata cheese so I had to settle for two other Italian cheeses. Isola is a Sicilian fresh cheese made from sheep’s milk. The Isola cheese was powerful, strong smelling and strong tasting, especially when you crunched into a peppercorn. Even though it was getting a bit long in the tooth, the cheese intensified the Aglicano’s fruitiness. Montasio is a cooked, full-fat, semi-hard cheese made from cow’s milk and aged for several months. It has a pungent smell and a strong, pasty taste. It comes from the Friuli-Venezia Giuli of northeastern Italy. This time the wine and cheese pairing was not as successful, but the combination was still satisfying.

Before giving my verdict, which I believe you can guess, I do have one final comment. In spite of what I have read, this wine is not very tannic. I would not recommend keeping it until 2020, or even 2015, as some others suggest. But I do recommend buying it now, and even storing it for a few years.