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Camerlengo is a winery in Basilicata that produces quality local wines and represents a reference wine making reality especially for Aglianico lovers. Located in Rapolla, in the province of Potenza, the winery belonged to Giovanni Falaguerra, who had been producing wine and oil in this area since 1800. Antonio Cascarano, Giovanni's nephew, wanted to combine his architectural profession with the passion for wine by recovering the old vineyards and the grandfather's cellar dug out of the tuff.
The Camerlengo vineyard extends for 4 hectares on the slopes of Monte Vulture, an extinct volcano of prehistoric times that offers soils and climate ideal for viticulture: the vines grow on tufaceous soils rich in silicon and potassium, which give the grapes a good acidity and to the wine a pleasant freshness, and enjoy the temperate climate and the strong temperature changes between day and night. The vineyard is divided into two bodies: Piano di Croce, a terrace cultivated in Aglianico overlooking the nearby Barile, and Toppo d’Avuzzo, where Malvasia di Rapolla, Santa Sofia (clone of Fiano) and Cinguli are grown. The management of the vineyard is organic, with a view to preserving nature and its biodiversity and working according to its rhythms. Monitoring in the vineyard is almost daily, with a preventive struggle system to keep the vineyard healthy. Antonio is against manipulation and addition both in the vineyard and in the cellar: fermentation on indigenous yeasts and soft pressing, no clarification or filtration.
Antonio is an engaging and positive character and his wines are equally intense and explosive. Its productive objective is to make Aglianico del Vulture express its full potential, returning to a natural agriculture and a winery processing that takes advantage of the right times. Camerlengo wines prove to have great character, they are wines to be waited with patience and never taken for granted.
