Home › Glossary › Letter A

Aglianico

Viniculture
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Aglianico is a black grape variety native to southern Italy, particularly Campania and Basilicata, known for producing full-bodied, tannic red wines.

Detailed Definition
In poetry, Aglianico evokes the ancient volcanic soils of Mount Vesuvius and the rugged beauty of southern Italy. Its deep color and robust structure mirror themes of endurance, history, and earthy passion. Poets may use it to symbolize resilience or the weight of tradition, linking the wine’s long aging potential to the passage of time and the preservation of cultural memory in Mediterranean landscapes.
Example
Example in poetry:
Aglianico poured dark as dried blood, and the poet saw the volcanic soil of Campania in every bitter cherry note; He compared Aglianico to a brooding tenor—powerful, tannic, yet capable of a haunting high note; In her elegy, the wine's inky depths mirrored the ancient roots that cracked the tufa stone; The tasting note read like a sonnet: Aglianico, the lion of the south, with a roar of black pepper and tar; She imagined Aglianico as the ghost of a Roman soldier, earthy and stern, demanding respect with every sip
Additional Notes
Aglianico is one of Italy's most ancient and noble grape varieties, believed to have been introduced by the Greeks, and it thrives in the volcanic soils of Campania and Basilicata, where it produces deeply colored, full-bodied wines with firm tannins, high acidity, and flavors of dark cherry, plum, leather, and earthy spice; this grape demands long aging to soften its astringency, often requiring 5 to 10 years in bottle to reach its peak, making it a favorite for poetry about patience and the passage of time, as its evolution from harsh youth to velvety maturity mirrors human character development; for comparative tasting, Aglianico is often likened to the great Nebbiolo or even to a southern Italian Barolo, with famous DOCG zones including Taurasi and Vulture, where the ancient vines produce wines of profound intensity and ageworthiness, perfect for lines about ancestral roots and volcanic passion.
Also Known As
ancient Greek vine Taurasi powerhouse volcanic red
Skip to main content