Elena Fucci 'Verha Rosso' Aglianico, Basilicata, Campania, Italy 2024
Elena Fucci built her reputation on Titolo, the single-vineyard Aglianico del Vulture that put her family's Barile estate on the map — vines her grandfather planted in the 1960s at the foot of the extinct Monte Vulture volcano. Verha, launched in 2022, is a different kind of project: rather than expanding her own vineyard holdings, Elena began purchasing fruit from neighboring smallholders in Barile whose grapes had traditionally been sold off to private producers in Campania. When that trade dried up during the pandemic, Elena stepped in to buy the fruit outright, both to save the local growers' livelihoods and to prevent their vineyards from being abandoned. The name "Verha" means "wine" in Arbëresh, the language of the Albanian community that has lived in Barile since the 15th century.
- WINEMAKER: Elena Fucci
- FARMING: Organic
- VARIETY: 100% Aglianico
- TERROIR: Basilicata IGT, sourced from Contrada Catavatta in the commune of Barile — immediately adjacent to the Titolo vineyards — on the volcanic soils of Monte Vulture at roughly 650 meters elevation.
- VINIFICATION: Stainless steel fermentation
- AGING: 6 months in stainless steel.
- TASTING NOTES: Bright ruby red. Ripe and dried fruit aromas with a delicate note of roasted coffee. On the palate, layers of bruised red and black fruit meet subtle licorice and coffee, framed by fresh, integrated tannins — a youthful, immediately approachable style built for everyday drinking rather than long aging.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Arrosticini, Lucanian sausages, orecchiette al ragù, or grilled veal with polenta.
Elena Fucci 'Verha Rosso' Aglianico, Basilicata, Campania, Italy 2024
Elena Fucci built her reputation on Titolo, the single-vineyard Aglianico del Vulture that put her family's Barile estate on the map — vines her grandfather planted in the 1960s at the foot of the extinct Monte Vulture volcano. Verha, launched in 2022, is a different kind of project: rather than expanding her own vineyard holdings, Elena began purchasing fruit from neighboring smallholders in Barile whose grapes had traditionally been sold off to private producers in Campania. When that trade dried up during the pandemic, Elena stepped in to buy the fruit outright, both to save the local growers' livelihoods and to prevent their vineyards from being abandoned. The name "Verha" means "wine" in Arbëresh, the language of the Albanian community that has lived in Barile since the 15th century.
- WINEMAKER: Elena Fucci
- FARMING: Organic
- VARIETY: 100% Aglianico
- TERROIR: Basilicata IGT, sourced from Contrada Catavatta in the commune of Barile — immediately adjacent to the Titolo vineyards — on the volcanic soils of Monte Vulture at roughly 650 meters elevation.
- VINIFICATION: Stainless steel fermentation
- AGING: 6 months in stainless steel.
- TASTING NOTES: Bright ruby red. Ripe and dried fruit aromas with a delicate note of roasted coffee. On the palate, layers of bruised red and black fruit meet subtle licorice and coffee, framed by fresh, integrated tannins — a youthful, immediately approachable style built for everyday drinking rather than long aging.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Arrosticini, Lucanian sausages, orecchiette al ragù, or grilled veal with polenta.