Aglianico grapes were first planted in Basilicata over 2,500 years ago, when southern Italy was a Greek colony known as Magna Graecia. Aglianico itself is a dialect version of Ellenico — Hellenic.
A Woman Who Said No
The Fucci family home sits in the middle of their vineyards in Barile, on Mount Vulture. Elena grew up literally surrounded by them. The six hectares were purchased by her grandfather Generoso in the 1960s and contain the oldest vines on Mount Vulture — some over 70 years old — seated at the highest point of the vineyard.
Shortly before Elena was supposed to leave for university, her family resigned to sell the property. But as potential buyers visited, she had a sudden change of heart — one that inspired her to pursue a degree in enology so she could keep the vineyards in the family. With support from her parents, the winery came to life in 2000, focused on producing a single label made solely from the estate’s Aglianico: Titolo.
One Vineyard. One Wine. One Name.
Ian d’Agata has written that “Aglianico del Vulture is potentially one of the world’s — not just Italy’s — greatest wines, and no single bottling demonstrates its quality better than the Titolo.” Jancis Robinson’s Italy editor described Elena as part of a small but growing group of new-generation Vulture producers radically changing the course of Aglianico del Vulture, setting their sights on elegance and finesse rather than the tannic power and elevated alcohol of the old style.
The Volcano
Mount Vulture is an extinct volcano, and its ancient lava flows have left the vineyards with dark, mineral-rich soils that give Aglianico del Vulture its typical complexity and structure. The tuff acts like a sponge, absorbing water from abundant rains and releasing it during summer — a natural irrigation system that has sustained the vines for millennia. Despite being in the deep south of Italy, the elevated terrain creates a cool, dry microclimate where temperatures drop by 10 to 15 degrees at night, allowing slow and gradual ripening. The harvest happens in late October and into November, one of the last in all of Italy.
Beyond the Bottle
Elena’s commitment extends beyond her own estate. She founded E&A Fine Wines, a project dedicated to preserving the vineyards of small local farmers who would otherwise risk abandonment — sustaining a cultural and landscape heritage that is at once a social value and the lifeblood of the territory.
Elena herself shares a charming local saying: “Non c’è Barolo senza Barile” — “There is no Barolo without Barile” — a wink at the fact that for decades Basilicata’s Aglianico was quietly shipped north to strengthen Piedmont’s most famous wine. The south enriching the north, uncredited, unacknowledged.
