Campania: regional profile plus 30 great wines to try

There is a variety of red fig from the Irpinian village of San Mango sul Calore, one that is an autumnal delicacy. It is late ripening compared to other figs, which tend to be consumed across the Mediterranean in July and August.

But Irpinia – a sub-region of Campania in southern Italy located 400m-700m above sea level, with 1,300mm of rainfall per year – has a climate that can be defined as ‘mountain Mediterranean’. It explains just how much the altitude influences agriculture and viticulture: grapes as well as figs are late ripening.

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

Here, in the warm 2020 vintage, the Aglianico grape started veraison (the beginning of the ripening process) around 2 September – more than one month later than most red varieties planted across Italy. The harvest typically lasts through to the middle of November, and at times even longer.

Aglianico has one of the longest growing seasons, stretching far beyond the 100-day norm. It is just one of the 35-40 indigenous grapes planted throughout the region – a single but significant example of the originality of Campania – alongside Falanghina, Fiano and Greco, and lesser-known Casavecchia, Ginestra, Pallagrello, Piedirosso, Ripoli and more.

The region harbours a fascinating identity which encapsulates a variety of climates, grapes and styles produced in small volumes, offering wine consumers an unmatched opportunity.

According to Italian agricultural agency AGEA’s SIAN database, in 2018 Campania produced just 2.53% of Italian wine.

It is ‘a thumbnail of Italian viticulture’, as journalist Luciano Pignataro suggested while speaking at Campania Stories, held in September 2020 at the archaeological site of Paestum in Salerno.

This relatively new annual event brings together industry professionals and producers to explore trends, exchange thoughts, visit different appellations and taste new releases – all to get a closer look at the ‘thumbnail’ of Italy that Campania provides.

Vintages: delving deeper

The 2019 vintage began with a moderate winter, as has become common in the last few years, and a cool, rainy spring that curbed vegetative growth.

Flowering started 10-15 days later, and the fruit-set was irregular, with a lot of millerandage. The summer was more archetypal, with windows of hot sub-Saharan temperatures intertwined with Azores anticyclones. It was completely dry with the exception of some beneficial rainfall in the final days of July.

The autumn was warm, above average, with cool nights favouring the phenolic ripeness of red grapes. The harvest started more or less on time, just one week later than usual.

All in all, it was a very good vintage, yet with yields 20% lower than 2018. The 2018 vintage produced fresh, enjoyable wines, less concentrated than in 2019. White Falanghina was penalised by this lighter vintage, as was Greco, which made firm wines in more than one case. Fiano performed well in both vintages, developing more richness in 2019. Falanghina recovered a bit of concentration in warmer areas such as Sannio, Cilento and the inland of Salerno, whereas Fiano tended to get a bit soft and exotic.

In Irpinia, 2019’s warmth was definitely more beneficial for the aggressive acidity of Greco, giving it more balance sooner, whereas the region’s cooler conditions in 2018 resulted in more tension and greater balance, allowing for superior quality on the overall spectrum. In my opinion, Greco and Fiano are too often slightly phenolic, which can be helpful for ageing but not as promising for elegance.

Ageing gracefully

All of the whites tasted at this year’s Campania Stories had benefited from longer bottle ageing, considering the event was held in September instead of April due to the lockdown. This suggests that these wines are worth holding on to, with the aim of refining their structure and increasing their aromatic complexity.

In terms of red wines built for the long haul, such as Taurasi, the latest vintages presented were the warm and fat 2015 and the 2016, characterised by drastically lower yields due to spring frost. Feudi di San Gregorio steadily remains the area’s leading producer.

Estate chairman Antonio Capaldo and winemaker Pierpaolo Sirch are working on a detailed map of their crus within Irpinia, bottling single vineyards under the Feudi Studi label.

Castelfranci and Montemarano are two of the top areas producing wines for the long haul, demonstrated by Feudi, Cantine Delite, Canonico & Santoli and Villa Raiano. In comparison, Aglianico from the village of Taurasi to the northwest tends to be more approachable. Villages such as Paternopoli and Luogosano produce Taurasi wines that sit in the middle of these two extremes.

Grape progress

Aglianico is at the centre of an intriguing style revitalisation, a winemaking revolution of sorts. A few years ago it was nearly impossible to drink young Aglianico, whereas at the September event I enjoyed some delicious 2018s, thanks to the combination of lighter extraction and a more approachable vintage.

In the past few years, the crunchy style of noted producers such as Giovanni Ascione (Nanni Copè) has established a different way to tame the mechanical bull ride that is the Aglianico grape, as have producers such as Barbot in Irpinia and Galardi in Alto Casertano. A lighter and more fruit-forward style is exemplified by the fresh 2014 vintage, now ready to drink. Top examples here are Perillo and Cavalier Pepe.

However, with respect to Aglianico, there are other red grapes deserving of a closer look too, among them Piedirosso. Often considered an easy-drinking wine for mass marketing, Piedirosso is a gem for lovers of lighter-bodied, Pinot Noir-esque wines, its old vines capable of producing great results and varying styles. There is a huge difference between the coloured, concentrated Piedirosso from Taburno and that of Campi Flegrei’s flat sandy soils.

In Campi Flegrei, for example, Cantine del Mare produces a stunning Piedirosso full of smoky minerality and a distinct iodine character. Such discoveries summarise the charm of Campania: a region that’s not easy to understand, often varied in terms of styles and, fortunately, far from conventional, where a pioneering spirit is alive and well.

Fiordelli’s top 30 wines from Campania

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