SCURIA

Scuria is the still Aglianico DOP of the Scarpa estate — the wine that completes Raffaele Noviello's range by offering the Irpinian grape in its most direct and unmediated red wine expression, aged in barrique to develop the integration and refinement that the variety's natural power requires. It is a wine of ruddy glow and magnetic red colour — the visual character that signals the depth and concentration of well-managed Aglianico from a serious Irpinian producer.

The Aglianico DOP designation places this wine within the broader Irpinian geographical indication rather than the more specific and prestigious Taurasi DOCG, but the quality of Noviello's farming and winemaking on his three carefully managed organic hectares in Montefalcione ensures that the wine punches well above its designation. The integrated pest management approach that characterises the estate's viticulture — with its drastic reduction of pesticides and herbicides to protect the groundwater — is applied with equal rigour to all the estate's vineyards regardless of the designation of the wine they produce.

The wine is rich in aromas of red fruit and spice on the nose — the characteristic aromatic profile of well-made Aglianico in its most accessible and generously expressive register. The barrique ageing contributes the gentle integration of wood that softens the variety's naturally firm tannins and adds the layer of spice that French oak reliably delivers without overwhelming the grape's territorial character.

On the palate, Scuria is elegant and soft — qualities that mirror the A Caposott in its still wine expression — with a full and lingering flavour that extends the experience well beyond the initial impression. The ageing potential is long, reflecting the inherent structure of the Aglianico grape and the care with which Noviello has managed its vinification.

Available through UniqueWines.