This post is about pet peeves that I have with certain  “wine experts” and winemakers.

The need to educate wine directors and writers about Southern Italian wine continues. Since my blog post on August 3, 2018 “The Marketing of Wines from Southern Italy in the USA”, https://southernitalywine.com/marketing-of-wines-from-southern-italy-in-the-usa/I continue to experience the misclassification and lack of information on wines from Southern Italy. A well established and popular Boston restaurant group and a highly respected Boston suburban Italian restaurant classifiy wines from Basilicata as originating from Campania.  In my August 3, 2018 blog post, I mentioned how a prestigious restaurant mislabeled an Aglianico del Vulture as originating from Puglia. The wine director apparently misinterpreted the initials PZ  on the label as a definition of Puglia; PZ stands for Potenza.  Aglianico del Vulture wines, which are featured in the above photo, are from Potenza, Basilicata.  The wines are not from Campania or Puglia.

Another complaint – in an article in a Massachusetts newspaper written by a “wine expert” there is a description of a wine from Southern Italy, but there is no mention of the producer’s name, the wine-making method or the town in which the wine is bottled. Instead the description of the wine is focused on the general area from which the author believes where the wine originates and of generally what grapes are used to make wine from this area. Serious wine writers’ reviews have to include the producer’s name, wine-making method and town of origin. This holds true for wine directors as they should know the same.

My third complaint – wineries that sell or use excess grapes to produce a “knock off” wine. These wines are sold at a discount, are made only in one year, feature fictitious names and do not have a producer’s name listed at the “bottled by” line. Instead there are a series of numbers listed at the “bottled by”. Further, there is no information on the wine-making method.  These “knock off” wines help certain wineries  make wine with excess grapes, and introduce wines from a DOC/DOP or IGT/IGP at an inexpensive price,  but they confuse the consumer and  confuse certain “wine experts”.   I have seen some of these “knock off” wines at restaurants. Though tempted, I have never asked the wine director of such a restaurant to identify the producer of a “knock off” wine”. Perhaps I should.

I am undecided if I should add to my pet peeves the practice of purchasing grapes or juice to make wine. What I do not understand is how a certified organic winery can purchase grapes from a vineyard that is not certified organic and maintain its organic certification.

Back to my initial pet peeve; to assist the reader to better understand Aglianico del Vulture wines, below are links to several articles/posts.

https://www.winespectator.com/articles/women-winemakers-in-vulture-southern-italy

https://www.winespectator.com/articles/southern-italy-vulture-wine-new-generation

https://morrellwinebar.com/forged-in-volcanic-earth-aglianico-del-vulture/

https://sidehustlewino.com/2017/10/04/meet-the-producer-of-dangelo/