A Hidden Gem in Basilicata

Nestled at the base of Mount Vulture is a dynamic winery called Bisceglia. It was founded in 2001 by Mario Bisceglia, and designed by Japanese architect, Hikaru Mori along with Italian architect Domenico Santomauro. This state of the art winery and bottling facility is cutting edge and a leader in local production. The goal is to produce world class wines from this old farming community, located in the district of Lavello. Lavello is considered a “ Wine Town “ in this southern part of Italy.

I was fortunate to taste through Mario’s portfolio this year at Vin Italy, and I have to say the wines live up to the hype. The quality of all the wines are excellent. The combination of volcanic soil, Mediterranean microclimate and state of the art wine making facility has vaulted this relatively new winery to elite status in the Basilicata region. I could tell that Mario was very proud of his wines when we were tasting them. It was a testament to Bisceglia, the fact that their booth at Vin Italy was cutting edge and modern looking, reflecting the image of the winery.

For me personally, the Terra di Vulcano Aglianico del Vulture DOC was one of the hidden gems that I discovered at the show. It always brings a smile to my face when I discover a new wine that is reasonably priced. My first thought is “I have to feature this wine in my restaurant”. One of the first phone calls I made when I returned from Vin Italy, was to my local distributor to check on availability for the Terra di Vulcano Aglianico. Upon confirmation of the availability, I immediately ordered every case they had in stock. I’m excited to share with our faithful wine drinkers this new wine. We will be featuring it for the month of June at Varano’s, this wine is a great pairing for pasta dishes, grilled meats and   game. I even enjoy this wine as a stand alone glass of wine before dinner. No matter your preference, don’t miss out on this wine. I’ve been on a kick featuring wines from the South of Italy the past few months, it’s been a lot of fun sharing the southern regions with our guests, the response has been overwhelming.

I look forward to hearing your comments on our wine specials on Facebook, or through our website. Let us know your thoughts, likes and dislikes. Our goal is to introduce our customer’s to new regions in Italy, new grape varieties and reasonably priced wines. One last thing, Varano’s now offers our famous Marinara Sauce to go, we now can it and have it available for sale on our website and at the restaurant.