Best Campania wines: 30 to try

While the world of wine wonders how to resist climate change, Campania is re-emerging into the limelight thanks to its rustic history, its autochthonous varietals and the inclusion of hybrids (varietals originating from other areas).

If Italy is the home of biodiversity, Campania is its cradle.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Aldo Fiordelli’s top 30 Campania wines

Of course, every region of the Italian peninsula has one or two representative indigenous grape varieties, for example Sangiovese and Vermentino in Tuscany; Corvina and Garganega in Veneto; Nebbiolo and Cortese in Piedmont.

This is obviously a simplified snapshot, omitting many ampelographic gems, but in Campania there are almost too many native grapes to name: Greco, Fiano, Falanghina, Biancolella, Ginestra, Caprettone, Pepella, Aglianico, Piedirosso, Pellagrello, Sciascinoso, Tintore, Fenile, Ripoli…

The truly remarkable thing is that all of these varietals are crucial here. Fenile, for instance, is early ripening, while Ripoli is late maturing; Ginestra is aromatic, while Pepella is spicy. This is perfectly demonstrated in some of Campania’s best wines, such as the extraordinary red blend from the Amalfi Coast – Marisa Cuomo’s Furore Rosso Riserva, Costa d’Amalfi 2017.

It’s an area better known for whites but its mineral-rich soils and dramatic day-to-night temperature variations allow for extraordinary phenolic ripeness, producing Aglianico and Piedirosso of rare complexity.

Biodiversity

Campania’s biodiversity takes on a concrete role as vintage conditions vary year by year: Greco, for example, soars in the hot years, while Fiano stands out in the cooler years. The region’s abundance of autochthonous varietals was the dominant theme that surfaced at the latest edition of Campania Stories, an annual appointment to showcase the region’s new vintages, held in September 2021 at the Campus Principe di Napoli Gastronomic University on the Amalfi Coast in Agerola, a striking location at 600 metres above sea level.

With its 26,000 hectares of vines, Campania represents 4% of total Italian vineyard cultivation.

The estimated value of wine produced in 2018 across the region was roughly €72 million – about 2.4% of the national total. While it’s opportune to note the charm of this artisanal dimension, we must also consider the difficulties of obtaining consistent data.

Annual hectolitre estimations differ considerably depending on whether you consult Istat, the national statistical institute, or Assoenologi, the association of Italian winemakers.

According to Istat, in 2018 (the most recent data available) Campania produced 1.37 millionhl, or 2.53% of the national total: an increase of 6% compared to the dry 2017 vintage, but still about 13% lower than the ten-year average. According to Assoenologi, 730,000hl of wine were produced in 2018, almost half the amount estimated by Istat. This variation could depend on the calculation of musts (as opposed to finished wine), suggests a source.

Also, according to Assoenologi, in 2019 and 2020 production rose to 778,000 hL while in 2017 it was 618,000hl. ‘The 2017 harvest certainly marked a change in the historical average of the harvests,’ explains a note from the association presided by Roberto Di Meo.

Campania’s scope

The distance from Campania’s northern border with Lazio – in the area of Galluccio and Roccamonfina – to the extreme south bordering Basilicata is about 300 kilometres; the same as the distance between Beaune and Châteauneuf du Pape. It is a varied landscape; the hilly and mountainous inland and lofty cliffs overlooking the Tyrrhenian coast are scattered with volcanoes and remnants of ancient calderas.

Vines in Campania benefit not only from coastal breezes but also the coolness that altitude brings. At the end of August, one might leave for the Amalfi Coast with a summer suitcase, only to find yourself shivering in the evenings at 600 metres above sea level. This is the most tangible sign of the extreme fragmentation of the region, challenging to understand yet beguiling nonetheless.

The Amalfi Coast, along with Campi Flegrei are two of Campania’s most underrated areas, but we shouldn’t forget the Sannio area to the northeast of the region, which makes up 40% of the vineyards of Campania.

Campi Flegrei on the coast west of Naples is one of Campania’s volcanic terroirs, along with Vesuvio on the other side of Naples and Irpinia further inland to the east. Campi Flegrei has a vast wooded area of 260 hectares, the former royal hunting reserve of the Spanish Bourbon dynasty, which today provides a welcome breath of fresh air and whose respiration proves fundamental to the surrounding viticultural activity, particularly – though not exclusively – in hot years.

The temperature range between night and day is increased by this green lung, as well as the proximity of the sea. Both factors are able to enhance the phenolic maturity of the grapes and their complexity.

Campania 2020 & 2019

After the dryness and heat of a vintage such as 2017, much of the volcanic soils of Campania returned to their natural state, lending complexity to the slighted 2018 vintage.

The 2019 and 2020 vintages in Campania are more regular and should be considered as ‘twins’: both experienced excellent climatic trends and produced almost identical quantities of grapes.

2020 registered moderate rainfalls, with temperatures slightly higher than usual up until the autumn and just a few windows between June and September when a sub-Saharan anticyclone has alternated with the Azzorre anticyclone.

30 of the best Campania wines to try:

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