Aglianico ( , ) is a black grape grown in the southern regions of Italy, mostly Basilicata and Campania. It is considered with Sangiovese and Nebbiolo to be one of the three greatest Italian varieties. Aglianico is sometimes called "The Barolo of the South" () due to its ability to produce highly refined, complex fine wines like the famous wine from Piedmont, Barolo. Oenologist Denis Dubourdieu said "Aglianico is probably the grape with the longest consumer history of all." History The origins of both the vine itself and its name are unclear. Traditionally, the vine is thought to have originated in Greece, first cultivated by Phocians from an unidentified ancestral vine; it was then brought to Cumae, near modern-day Pozzuoli, by Greek settlers in the 8th century BC, and from there it spread into southern Italy. However, modern DNA analysis of Aglianico does not support this view, revealing little relation to other Greek grape varieties. Its parentage also remains unknown, implying that it is likely to be endemic to its region. If Aglianico was imported to Italy from Greece, no original Greek plantings have persisted. The name first appeared in print as the feminine plural in 1520, and several etymological theories persist. The name may be a corruption of (), or of , the Latin name for the whole of southern Italy in the time of ancient Rome. However, since there is also no record of the name Aglianico prior to the fifteenth century Spanish conquest of southern Italy, another possible origin of the name is from () denoting a grape grown on the plains. Oenologist Denis Dubourdieu has said "Aglianico is probably the grape with the longest consumer history of all", claiming that Aglianico was used to make the Falernian wine famed during Roman times. Along with the white grape Greco (used to make the famous Greco di Tufo wine), the red grape of the region was regarded favourably by Pliny the Elder. Traces of the vine have been found in Molise, Apulia, and also on the island of Procida near Naples, although it is no longer widely cultivated in those places. Relationship to other grapes Despite the similarities in naming, the Campanian wine grape Aglianicone is not a clonal mutation of Aglianico but DNA analysis does suggest a close genetic relationship between the two varieties. Wine regions In Basilicata, Aglianico is the basis of the Aglianico del Vulture