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Saturday, February 5, 2022

The wines of Italy's Campania region

Campania, the shin of the boot that is Italy, is its third most populous region. And with its 5.8 million people resident in an area covering 13,590 sq. km, it is the country's most densely populated region. But it is famed for factors beyond population. "The region is home to 10 of the 55 UNESCO sites in Italy ..." and its "... rich natural beauty ... makes it highly important in the tourism industry, with the city of Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Mount Vesuvius and the islands of Capri and Ischia continuing to be major attractions" (Wikipedia).

Campania is well-suited to the production of high quality wine. Its abundant sunshine, dry and hot summers (with coastal Mediterranean breezes tempering the heat), mild winters, mountainous terrain (allows planting at higher elevations), volcanic soil, lengthy growing season, and own-rooted vines add up to a growing environment that is a winemakers dream.

And the suitability of the region for wine making is enshrined in history. According to thegrandwindow.com, Campania viticulture is one of the best documented in Italy because the region was "the garden of the Romans," the so-called Felix Campania, the favorite holiday place for nobles of the Res Publica, and "the drink that was most talked about in Rome was Campanian wine ..." 

The roots of Campanian wine run even deeper, though, stretching back to around 730 BC when Greeks from Euboea established a colony in Cuma and, based on the Greek-origin varieties that populate the region, brought their native vines to the peninsula.

The wine industry in Campania was in poor shape at the end of WWII. Using the Mastroberardino estate as a proxy, war, economic depression, phylloxera, and neglect had damaged the industry's prospects significantly. Antonio Mastroberardinio launched a project to revitalize his family estate and vineyards and other producers followed in his footsteps. And the progress continues. According to Vinous' Eric Guido, a more modern outlook on farming and winemaking, driven in large part by smaller, quality-minded producers, is changing the region's profile.

Landscape and Terroir
According to Italyguides.it, "The region of Campania stretches over a wonderfully varied area of Italy, covering coastal areas as well as fertile and beautiful plains further inland ... The plains, towns and mountains further inland with their agricultural resources, temperate climate and idyllic pastoral countryside have made Campania a valuable asset to invaders over the years.

According to Eric Guido, "Throughout the hills and up onto the lower slopes of both volcanos and mountains, we find the vineyards ... from 400 too 600 meters and up ... and the soils that we generalize as 'volcanic' are a diverse mix of rocks, ash, sands, clays and minerals that have been deposited here over the course of many millenia."

The chart below shows the distribution of DOC and DOCG level grape-growing areas in Campania along with selected characteristics of the more "important" ones.


The chart shows a patchwork of growing regions along the eastern seaboard and on the islands (with the larger Cilento DOC in the southeast) and two significant growing regions (Benevento and Avellino provinces) in the center and Northwest of the region. The growing areas along the coast manifest volcanic soils while the inland growing regions have, in addition, calcareous and limestone soils.

Campania White Wines
Campania's mix of calcareous, limestone-rich soils, high elevation, and significant diurnal temperature variation provide an environment that is well suited to the growth of high-quality white varieties. This environment supports a number of high-quality white wines (Tom Hyland):
  • Greco di Tufo
    • Very good levels of acidity and excellent aging potential
    • Less aromatic but with a bigger structure
    • Minerality and concentration
    • Does well in the volcanic soil in the mountainous terrain of Avellino
  • Fiano di Avellino
    • One of the most complex and elegant white wines of Italy
    • Aging potential of 10 or more years
    • Does well in the volcanic soil in the mountainous terrain of Avellino
  • Fiano di Salerno
    • More clay and limestone soil; fruit-driven, with less minerality
  • Falanghina and Asprinio
    • Both high-acid wines. 
The chart below shows the characteristics of the most important Campanian white varieties and illustrates the requirements for white wine production within the region.

The chart illustrates the two white DOCGs (Greco di Tufo and Fiano di Avellino) in Irpina DOC and the ubiquity of Falanghina acros the region. Less-well-known varieties such as Biancolella, Forestra, and Caprettone can be found in the easterly growing regions.

Red Wines
Aglianico is the dominant certified red variety in the region, as shown in the chart below. This grape, known as The Barolo of the South, produces high-tannin, high-acid wines with notes of plum, cassis, and chocolate. The DOCG zones for this grape are Aglianico del Taburno and Taurasi, the former included in Sannio DOC, the latter in Irpinia DOC.


Sparkling Wines
Grapes that produce high-acid white wines are good candidates for sparkling wines. The chart below shows the appellations which allow sparkling wine within their borders and the grape varieties (and their proportions) utilized in their production. The chart directly following shows the sparkling wines produced in the region, in many cases, utilizing the described grapes grown in the highlighted regions.


Some observations:
  • One of the four DOCGs and nine of the 15 DOCs allow for the production of sparkling wines
  • Most of the Campania appellations are bunched in the upper part of the region as is the allowed sparkling wines
  • With one exception -- Costa d'Amalfi DOC -- no international varieties are used in the production of the region's sparkling wines. Both Chardonnay and Pinot Nero are approved for use in the Costa d'Amalfi Spumante
  • A total of 38 labels are approved over the 10 appellations shown above making for an average of 3.8 labels per appellation. Of course, the bulk of the labels are distributed between Sannio DOC and Vesuvio DOC
  • 15 of the approved labels are Metodo Classico specifications
  • Thirty-one of the approved labels are for varietal sparkling wines with Falanghina, Fiano, and Greco featuring prominently.
The sparkling wines in Greco di Tufo DOCG are made in the traditional manner and stay on the lees for at least 3 years. According to tasteatlas.com, "These straw yellow wines are intense, herbaceous, floral, and fruity with typical notes of apples, jasmine, thyme, or sage. They are best paired with rich seafood dishes and could go well with lobster or cod ... they are also an excellent aperitif and would be a great match to various appetizers."

Feudi di San Gregorio, one of the leading independent wine producers in Campania, has established a separate label -- DUBL -- under which to market its Spumante wines. This project began in 2004 and was aimed at bringing the classic sparkling wine method to the grapes of the Campanian tradition: Greco, Aglianico, and Falanghina.

Feudi San Gregorio felt that they had the high-quality fruit for such an initiative. The internal areas of the region are ideal for growth of grapes destined for sparkling wines:
  • Diurnal temperature differences would allow grape ripening with acid-retention
  • The ventilation and exposure of the vineyards are ideal
  • Rugged terroir 
  • Volcanic soils.
They did not, however, have the requisite skill. To fill that gap they sought the advice and assistance of Anselme Selosse -- of Jacques Selosse grower-Champagne fame. The wines that resulted were a 100% Greco sparkling wine, a 100% Aglianico sparkling Rosata, and a 100% Falanghina as a Double Brut.

In April 2016, DUBL extended its product portfolio with DUBL Esse, a Dossagio Zero line, with a white sparkling made from the best grapes from the most exciting vineyards in the Tufo area and a Rosata which comes from grapes from the most exciting vineyards in the Taurasi area.

Dessert and Specialty Wines
These wines are made mostly in the passito style using white varieties but with a fair sprinkling of red varieties in the mix.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme

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