Blog: Elena Fucci | Basilikata

The winery was founded in 2000 to save from sale the vineyards surrounding the Fucci family home, which grandfather Generoso had acquired in the 1960s. For decades, the 6 hectares of vineyards, located 600 meters above sea level at the foot of Monte Vulture (a dormant but not yet extinct volcano), were farmed exclusively for the sale of grapes on the local market and beyond to northern Italy. Selling the vineyards seemed the most logical solution, as Elena's dreams took her far from my home, to the wide world, to seek my fortune.

But the thought of the sacrifices her family had to make hit Elena deeply, so she changed her plans completely. At the same time as studying enology and viticulture at the University of Pisa, a new project was launched that would represent the Vulture area and focus everything on a single wine, TITOLO, a premium cru that would best represent the characteristics of Aglianico and the unique terroir and microclimate of the area.

The original winery was built in the old storage rooms under the family home, Torre Titolo, where the grandfather kept the tractor and farm equipment. The first addition was the barrel cellar, dug directly into the slope made of volcanic rock.

Recently, the winery has been expanded with a new annex, adjacent to the original annex and accessible through a tunnel carved into the volcanic rock. The new annex was built in an environmentally friendly way, using recycled and reclaimed materials, adding thermal insulation and using natural ventilation, reducing environmental impact and energy consumption to zero. The winery is equipped with the latest technology to ensure the best possible conditions for our TITOLO.

In this generous landscape, the ancient Aglianico vineyards look at Mount Vulture with pride and awe, as if seeking in each day a confirmation of the quality of the grapes and the wine. The environment is of incomparable beauty: the sun, the rain, the snow and the winds mark the change of seasons. On these hills that never seem to end, the Fucci family has always worked with passion on the noble grape variety Aglianico del Vulture, cultivating the distinctive and unique character of Aglianico.

The strength and minerality of the volcanic soil, the acidity enhanced by extreme temperature variations, characteristics that are not exhausted in aroma and color, clarity and flavor, but lie in the personality of the wine, Elena's only wine, the TITOLO, with its balance and its ability to transmit these original scents to those who drink it. - Gerardo [TS01/23]