Basilicata is a small region, mostly mountainous and hilly. Here the climate is predominantly continental with typically Mediterranean characteristics, warm and dry, both in coastal areas and in inland areas of the Matera hills.
A region of limited wine production in quantitative terms, Basilicata, however, offers interesting insights both from the point of view of local vines and the quality of the wines produced. The region is mostly mountainous, although it has two outlets to the sea, on the Tyrrhenian Sea with the Gulf of Policastro and on the Ionian Sea, where it faces the Gulf of Taranto. The Lucan Apennines characterize much of the region, with the main reliefs of Monte Pollino (2248m) to the south, on the border with Calabria, and Monte Vulture (1326m) to the north.
The training systems of the vines are mainly Guyot and Spurred Cordon, although the historical Alberello cultivation is still practiced in particularly inaccessible and difficult to work areas. The total viticultural area of the region is about 4000 hectares, of which 47% is in mountainous territory, 45% in the hills and only 8% in the plains.
Aglianico del Vulture is the main grape variety in Basilicata, with over 60% of the vineyard surface, which represents 90% of the production of PDO and PGI wines.
