A leisurely day in the South is made even more leisurely when the herding of sheep on the main road connecting the wine-producing towns of Barile and Rionero in Vulture causes us to stop to let them pass. Today we visited three small organic wineries. Two are owned by the winegrowers and the third is owned by a large wine company, but the manager operates independently of the large company.

As mentioned in the previous post, I will provide a general description of places visited today. A more detailed description of each site will follow when I return to the US.

Azienda Vinicola Carbone

Carbone winery is headed by sister and brother, Sara and Luca Carbone. We met Luca, who heads up operations, at the winery’s cellar located in the town of Melfi. In 1970 his parents planted the first vines consisting of chardonnay, pinot noir and other international grapes. They sold grapes to other producers. The international grapes were not popular in the Aglianico del Vulture wine area, so the family switched to grow aglianico and fiano grapes. To the right is a photo of one of Carbone’s aglianico vineyards. In the background is Mt. Vulture. The first vintage, 2005, was released in 2007.  When the family purchased the cellar, which is over 1,000 years old, it was only partially accessible because an earthquake in the 1930s blocked the entrance with over 20 feet of debris. The family discovered the full size only after purchase. I said to Luca that it was a lucky discovery, causing him to smile and reply that it is not as if the cellar is located in Rome or Venice.  Carbone produces approximately 40,000 bottles in a sustainable method. They expect to obtain their organic certification soon.

Osteria Vecchio Cortile

We feasted on a four course lunch that featured traditional food from Potenza. Our first course was strascinati pasta with vegetables. Our second course was sausage and potatoes. The next course was greens with oil and lemon. For dessert we had an array of fruits.

Azienda Agricola Basilisco

Basilisco, located in the town of  Barile, was purchased in 2011 by the large Campania-based wine company, Feudi San Gregorio.  Feudi has maintained the boutique character of the winery.  About 50,000 bottles are produced, organically, per year. The cantina is in a building that dates to the 1500’s. When Feudi purchased Basilisco, the cantina cellar was in disrepair, but as you can see from the photo, Feudi spent the funds to improve the cellar. The manager of Basilisco, Vivianna Malafarina, is one of only three full time employees at the winery. Vivianna has had an interesting career path as a professor of foreign languages (she is fluent in five languages) and a cruise cook before joining Basilisco where she has discovered her passion for wine.  She worked and learned all aspects of wine-making, has great latitude in the operation of the winery, and under her direction, Basilisco has built on its tradition of producing excellent wine.

Azienda Agricola Elena Fucci

Elena Fucci’s winery is also located in the town of Barile.  Elena’s family has owned the vineyards for several generations. In the late 1990’s, the family decided to stop selling grapes to producers and to start their own production.  Elena went to school in Pisa to study oenology.  She worked for a winery in France for a year and assisted Mila Vuolo, a Salerno-based wine producer for two years. Elena’s first vintage, in 2000, produced only 1200 bottles.  Today, her total production is limited to about 20,000 bottles.  Under her direction the winery has been recognized every year for excellence. Her commitment to quality and sustainable viticulture is unwavering.  She uses natural processes during vinification as evidenced by the use of the “soft press” method when the grapes are placed in stainless tanks and the weight of the grapes causes a soft press. Her new cantina, now under construction, is another example of her adherence to natural wine-making.  The walls are specially designed to allow for proper ventilation to help cool and heat the space naturally.  Most of the building materials are recycled products.  Seemingly no detail was left unexamined.