What is Taurasi known for?

Aglianico-based red, first southern Italian DOCG since 1993, aged minimum three years; the wine called the Barolo of the South. Lombard-Norman castle on the ridge, rebuilt after Saracen and Aragonese damage, now the seat of Campania's Enoteca Regionale. Ancient grape introduced by Greek settlers, grown on volcanic soils between 400 and 500 meters, the foundation of the Taurasi DOCG appellation.

Taurasi is a comune in the province of Avellino, Campania region of Italy, about 65 kilometers from Salerno.

Campania · Avellino

Taurasi

An Irpinia wine villageabove the Calore valley, the namesake of Taurasi DOCG, the southern Aglianico called Barolo of the South.

65 km / 40 mi

Nearest hub (Salerno)

2,161

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Città del Vino

Why come

Taurasi sits at four hundred meters on a hill in the Media Valle del Calore, in the Irpinia of the Avellino province, forty kilometers inland from Salerno. The Castello Marchionale on the upper ridge was built in the seventh century by the Lombards, destroyed by Saracen raids between 900 and 910, rebuilt and extended by the Normans in the twelfth century with a square keep, and partly destroyed again by Alfonso d'Aragona's troops in 1461. The Gesualdo, Filangieri, Ludovisi and Carafa families took it in turn through the early modern period. In 2006 the castle reopened as the seat of the Enoteca Regionale of Campania, with a sensory wine route called Percorso Tau on the Taurasi, Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo DOCG appellations. Taurasi DOCG, made from at least 85 percent Aglianico aged a minimum of three years, was the first DOCG in southern Italy when it was promoted in 1993. The wines are called the Barolo of the South. Vineyards on the surrounding slopes feed roughly forty producers, most of them family operations.

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Gallery

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Known for

Castello Marchionale
Lombard-Norman castle on the upper ridge, originally seventh century, rebuilt after Saracen and Aragonese damage, since 2006 the seat of the Enoteca Regionale of Campania.
Enoteca Regionale
Regional wine cellar inside the castle, with a Percorso Tau sensory route through the Taurasi, Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo DOCG appellations.
Centro storico
Medieval village with three surviving gates, Porta Sant'Angelo, Porta Piccola and Porta Maggiore, and noble palaces with corner towers.
Chiesa di San Marciano
Parish church in the lower town, the patronal seat, with an annual feast on 14 June and a baroque interior largely intact.
Vineyards of Taurasi DOCG
Aglianico slopes surrounding the town, the first DOCG of southern Italy since 1993, source of the wine called the Barolo of the South.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the working months for Taurasi. The Aglianico vines bud in late spring, the slopes turn through copper into November after harvest. The vendemmia falls in late October, the latest in southern Italy because Aglianico ripens slowly. July and August are hot, often above thirty-two degrees, and the centro storico empties between two and six. November through March is quiet and cold, sometimes with snow on the surrounding ridges; many cellars close to drop-in tastings and require appointments. The Taurasi Vendemmia festival runs through the first week of September and brings producers into the streets.