Taurasi is a village in eastern Irpinia, on the hills that slope down towards the Calore river, and it gives its name to an appellation covering seventeen municipalities in the province of Avellino. The vineyards lie between 300 and 700 metres, on clay and volcanic soils, in an area of cold winters that makes Aglianico ripen late, often in November. The wine was recognised as a DOC in 1970 and in 1993 became the first red DOCG of the South.
The regulations require at least 85% Aglianico, with the rest from other local red grapes. Minimum ageing is three years from the harvest, one of them in wood; the Riserva requires four, with eighteen months in wood. Minimum alcohol is 12 degrees, 12.5 for the Riserva.
It is a wine of great structure, ruby turning to garnet, with aromas of sour cherry, plum, liquorice and smoky notes, dense tannins and lively acidity that extend its life for decades. It calls for substantial dishes: braised meats, lamb, game, aged cheeses.
