# Marco Tinessa Aglianico Taburno IGT (2023)

- **Producer:** Marco Tinessa
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Aglianico
- **Region:** Campania, Italy
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.5%
- **Average price:** €30
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, black pepper, herbaceous

## About this wine

Marco Tinessa, formerly a financial broker in Milan, returned to his native Campania to craft pure expressions of Aglianico on the high-elevation slopes of Monte Taburno. Mentored by natural winemaking icons Frank Cornelissen and Mario Fontana, Tinessa initially vinified on Mount Etna before establishing his own permanent cellar in Montesarchio in 2020. His approach highlights the unique mineral purity and acidity of Taburno's limestone-clay soils over heavy oak extraction.

## Interesting facts

- Founder Marco Tinessa worked as a Milan financial broker before returning home to make natural wine.
- Marco learned winemaking alongside Etna legend Frank Cornelissen, where he initially made his wine.
- The project was originally called Ognostro, Neapolitan dialect for ink, referencing Aglianico's deep color.
- Aged in grès stoneware amphorae to preserve pure fruit and minerality without heavy oak influence.

## Food pairing

The elevated acidity and firm tannin structure of this Aglianico require rich proteins and rustic savory fats to soften the mouthfeel. Earthy herbs and grilled flavors in red meat complement the natural mineral and botanical character of the wine.

## Wine making process

Harvested manually in October from organically farmed, high-altitude vineyards, the grapes are 100% destemmed and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in fiberglass and stainless steel tanks. Maceration on skins lasts 2 to 3 weeks. The wine ages for 18 months in 800L grès stoneware amphorae, stainless steel, and neutral Garbellotto oak casks, followed by 12 months of bottle aging. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal added sulfites.