Basilicata forms the arch of the Italian peninsula’s boot, running northwest from the Gulf of Taranto. Its capital and largest city is Potenza. In the wine world, Basilicata is not well known, producing less than 0.2% of the country’s total output. It has one DOCG, four DOCs (see map on this page), and one IGP. In 2022, Basilicata produced only a little over 85,000 hl (958,000 cases) of wine from 2,027 ha (5,000 acres) of vineyards, in both statistics being Italy’s third smallest region. Production is roughly evenly split among the DOP, IGP, and Vino levels, and 82% of it is red—second only to Toscana for reliance on red wines. The region’s primary grape variety is Aglianico (56%).
