Last weekend we sheltered in place at our beach house with three fabulous three Aglianico del Vulture wines; Serra del Prete 2011 from Azienda Agricola Musto Carmelitano,  Camerlengo 2014 from Azienda Agricola Camerlengo and Le Drude 2012 from Azienda Agricola Laluce. We have visited each of the wineries; Musto Carmelitano once, Camerlengo twice and Laluce five times.  Aglianico del Vulture is a wine region located in the remote region of Basilicata, province of Potenza in which the dormant volcano Mt. Vulture is omnipresent. Because of the dormant volcano, the soil is influenced with volcanic ash. Vulture wines are made with the aglianico grape and are noteworthy for their tannin structure, robust dark fruits (blackberry, blueberry, currant) and excellent acidity, which together gives the wines great ability to evolve in the glass with great complexity.

These three producers make low intervention wines from organically grown grapes.  What is the definition of  a producer of low intervention wines? Non-interventionist winemakers use as few additives as possible and as little manipulation as they can. http://www.morethanorganic.com/definition-of-natural-wine (“More than Organic”). As More than Organic notes, winemakers have to compromise at some point. Where and why they compromise depends upon what they are trying to achieve and how much they are prepared to risk in order to achieve. There are certain elements that compromise a total non-intervention wine, but as More than Organic notes that making a “perfect natural wine” is difficult to achieve. Sometimes winemakers will achieve this “perfect natural wine” but many times winemakers have to improvise in order to prevent the wine from spoiling. Winemakers that adhere to a natural process will intervene minimally and only when necessary.

Organic wines are not necessarily natural wines, but all natural wines are organic. Organic definition pertains mostly to methods and procedures in the vineyard – i.e. no chemicals or pesticides, only organic or natural fertilizers and integrated pest management processes are used. Organic wines are required to have far less sulfites than conventional wines. Natural definition pertains to the winemaking procedure in the cellar. Non-intervention or natural winemakers do not use additives, or as pointed out above, if necessary, use additives in the least amount of quantities required.

In the United States 76 different additives are permitted to be used to manipulate wine. Here are a few of the  additives: tartaric acid to boost the acidity in white wines, sugar to adjust alcohol, egg whites or bentonite to clarify wines and remove tannins, fish bladder to remove proteins, yeast and other organic particles which are in suspension in wine making, nonindigenous or cultured yeasts, powdered tannins for texture and astringency, gum arabic to soften tannins and reduce astringency to make a red wine more silky or the magic potion Mega Purple. Mega Purple is a concentrate made with the rubired grape, a hybrid grape grown exclusively in San Joaquin Valley, CA. A couple of drops of the gooey concentrate is added to red wine to add color, make the wine sweeter and cover up flawed flavors. It is prevalent in wines produced in large quantities at a low-cost and even some high-end wines. The wine conglomerate, Constellation Wine Company produces Mega Purple and reportedly sells  over 10,000 gallons of it per annum. Although few wineries will admit to the use of Mega Purple, based on its annual sales, it is widely used.

Of the 76 additives, how many are added to natural wines? Some natural wine makers add none (a “perfect natural wine” which as noted above is a goal that is not always achieved) and others may add sulfites to preserve the wine at bottling at amounts far below permissible amounts that can be added to biodynamic or organic wines. Natural wine makers will never add tannins or products to clarify wines.

Serra del Prete 2011 – Azienda Agricola Musto Carmelitano, Maschito, PZ.  Musto Carmelitano has been a family run farm for than three generations of winemakers. In 2005 Elisabetta and her brother Luigi assumed management of the farm. They decided to end the family practice of selling grapes. In 2006 the construction of a new cellar was completed, equipment purchased and with the collaboration of esteemed winemaker, Fortunato Sebastiano, Elisabetta and Luigi began to produce a natural wine. There are no selected yeasts during fermentation; only indigenous yeasts. There is no clarification or fining of the wine; no stabilizing interventions. Serra del Prete ages six months in steel and six months in cement tanks. Unlike oak, the wine in cement develops in a flavorless environment, thus there are no influences of vanilla, baking spice and the like. Cement is similar to stainless steel, except a cement vessel will create CO2, which protects the wine from excessive oxygen exposure.

We met Elisabetta five years ago in the midst of a harvest. Her father and other workers were unloading crates of grapes into a machine to be de-stemmed and crushed.  Also during our visit, Fortunato Sebastiano, stopped by to examine the progress of fermenting grapes.  It was hectic, thus we were most appreciative that Elisabetta and Fortunato took some time to provide a wine tasting and answer our questions. The winery produces between 2o,000 to 25,000 bottles of wine per year.

Camerlengo 2014 – Azienda Agricola Camerlengo, Rapolla, PZ.  Antonio Cascarano, a trained architect, abandoned his profession to become a winemaker, when he inherited the vineyards from his grandfather. The winery is named after a Camerlengo, the  administer of the Apostolic Chamber and who in 1250 fiercely defended the local land in the name of the Pope. The Camerlengo was given the land around Rapolla as gratitude for his deed. The name of the winery commemorates this rich history, pays homage to the noble origins and introduces  guests to the history and traditions of Rapolla.  A nonconformist, Antonio withdrew his wines from the DOCG designation, and does not belong to the local association of winemakers.  With a total commitment to the production of  a natural wine, Camerlengo is fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts without temperature control for 18 days in chestnut barrels. Camerlengo is aged for about 15 months, also in chestnut barrels. The wine is unfiltered. Nothing is added to the wine other than a miniscule trace of sulfites at bottling (two to three ppm). Antonio’s first vintage was 2001. Camerlengo, which makes about 18,000 bottles per year, is certified organic.

We met Antonio in 2018 during harvest and in 2019. Despite being in harvest, Antonio was most generous with his time. He provided us an extensive tasting and without a doubt is one of the more colorful winemakers that we have met.

Le Drude 2012 – Azienda Agricola Laluce, Ginestra, PZ. Michele Laluce, with his wife Maria and four daughters, operates the winery. Caterina, who is studying economics, manages the finances of the winery, Maddalena, an enologist, is the wine-maker, Donatella, an agronomist operates the machinery and manages the farm animals, and Michela is studying culinary. Since 1905 the Laluce family has produced wine, but only since 2001 has the wine been bottled for commercial purposes. Laluce, which produces about 40,000 bottles per year, is certified organic. Michele and Maddalena adhere to natural winemaking as they use indigenous  yeasts in the fermentation process when the conditions are conducive. There is no clarification and the only additive is 10 ppm of sulfites at bottling. (Note that organic wines are allowed to add up to 100 ppm of sulfites and conventional wines are allowed to add up t0 350 ppm.) Le Drude is fermented in stainless steel and aged for two years in large Slovenian oak barrels, smaller French barrels and in the bottle for one to two years before release. Le Drude was the name that the Piedmontese army gave to the courageous Brigand women of the Vulture area that fought the Piedmontese armed forces post-unification (after 1861). To honor these women, Michele named his top wine Le Drude. Another historical note: the town of Ginestra was founded by a community of Albanian exiles led by the condottiere Francesco Zhura, who in 1478 after receiving land from the ruling Aragonese, started the community. The Albanian origins continue to live on in the traditions of the people of Ginestra. The town is designated as an Arbereshe` community and features street signs written in both Italian and Arbereshe`.

The Laluce family has become our closest friends in Vulture. We have visited the family on five occasions. We have toured the vineyard, during one visit Maddalena explained how rose bushes planted at the front of the rows serve as a warning of disease that might affect the grape, as the rose bushes will be impacted by the disease before the grapevines. During another visit, Michele and Maddalena, demonstrated how quickly wine changes during fermentation.  We contrasted the taste of wine that had been fermenting for just a day with wine that had been fermenting for four days. The reduction of the sugar from day one to day four was strikingly different.

The Laluce family, as it seems all families we have visited in Vulture, represents “Southern Hospitality” at its best.