Wines made from the aglianico grape were virtually unknown to much of the world just 25 years ago. They have made great progress since. Now they are merely unappreciated. That may sound like faint headway for a red wine with structure, lively acidity and the ability to age and evolve. Perhaps it is worth trying to accelerate that trajectory so more people can enjoy the grape’s pleasures.

Among its many charms, aglianico is versatile, able to make wines that are delicious when young as well as those that can benefit from years, even decades, in the cellar. In his painstaking book “Native Wine Grapes of Italy,” Ian d’Agata wrote of aglianico: “Along with nebbiolo and sangiovese, it is generally believed to be one of Italy’s three best wine grapes, but in my opinion, it is far more: At the very least, it’s one of the world’s dozen or so best wine grapes.”