APRIL is for CAMPANIA

Campania offers a rich landscape and is the original home to some of Italy’s most recognized dishes.

Interested in becoming a member? Check out all we have to offer.

Novellino Membership

Matrone Lacryma Christi Rosso

Andrea Matrone’s family has jnot just been cultivating vines on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius since the 1700s. Andrea’s great uncle, Gennaro Matrone, is the engineer that contructed the Via Matrone path that leads up to the volcano’s crater. The family name is so tied to the Vesuvio area it’s almost synonymous.

The territory is located in Boscotrecase, in the heart of the Vesuvio National Park. Despite being a revered wine making zone during the epoch of ancient Rome, today the wines are referred to as “vini dei contadini”- farmer wine. Every inhabitant in this zone makes wine, whether it be for commerical production or familt consumption. Andrea still takes a farmer’s approach to the wines: he works the vineyards organically; he is the certified enologist who also makes the wines; and his production is only about 10,000 bottles per year. Oh yeah, and he’s an artist! Andrea paints and designs his own labels.

Matrone’s Lacryma Christi brings out the darker side of this wine, despite it being made predominately with the Piedirosso grape. While not heavy, the rustic tannin make it a perfect match to heftier meat dishes, but it’s bright acidity works well with tomato based pastas and pizzas. Andrea’s wines would be considered natural in that they are all made with organic grapes, spontaneously fermented,  and have no to minimal sulfur additions at bottling-his wines come it at under 20mg/L , that’s super low when you consider your grocery store wine that is probably closer to 200mg/L.

Try with Braciole!

AIA dei Colombi Falanghina

Aia dei Colombi was founded in 2002 by the Pascale family, spearhead by brothers Gaetano and Marcello. Their philosophy is to genuinely express the terrior and make quality products. Though they are not officially certified, they follow organic practices and like many organic/sustainable wine producers they understand that their wine is only as good as the grape they grow. 

This Falanghina is such a steal and a go to of mine. It’s so distincly Falanghina from Benevento with its basil and white peach notes, in additional to its refreshing minerality and acidity. You might have a hard time not finishing the bottle.

Mila Vuolo Aglianico

Located in southern Italy’s Campania region, the IGT Colli di Salerno (hills of Salerno) is a sweeping appellation that covers the coastal land from the Amalfi Coast to the Cilento Coast along many of the hills close to the Mediterranean. While there is a tighter DOC region within the Colli di Salerno, the Castel San Lorenzo DOC, practically no one bottles under it. “The denomination doesn’t really do anything,” Mila explains. “It allows for all kinds of grapes and right now the name does not help us promote the region.” In fact, Mila is on the committee to resurrect the Castel San Lorenzo DOC and change the wine production laws to only allow for native grapes.

Mila’s hazelnut & olive trees as well as a wild forest surround the vineyard on all sides. The vines are planted on clay soil rich in limestone and organic matter with a good natural water storage capacity to keep the vines nourished. Beneath the clay are deposits of limestone pebbles that rest on a limestone bedrock. The limestone gives the wine its bright elements and fresh acidity, while the clay and warm weather pumps out riper grapes and therefore a richer fruit profile.

I receive so much great feedback on the Mila Vuolo wines, it’s a shame her wines are not more available on the market. Mila’s wines are such a great value, and come to us already with a fair bit of age, which is most welcome with a harshly tannic grape like Aglianico. Included in this shipment is the 2015- truly a gem and a rarity to find a wine with such age at such a reasonable price point.

Appasionato Membership

I Favati ‘Etichetta Bianca’ Fiano di Avellino

I Favati are practicing organic. They only intervene in the vineyard when necessary and even then will spray with copper or sulfur, organic approved chemicals that help prevent fungus and rot. Their philosophy is that the “vino e’ fatto nelle vigne”—wine is made in the vineyards. If you grow healthy grapes with minimal or no chemical intervention, the hardest part is over. The small annual production between 40,000 and 50,000  bottles reflects their mission to achieve the highest quality rather than the largest quantity.

My impressions about wine are not dependent on wine reviews from famous magazines or people, but when someone well known, who’s palate I trust, gives the wine a high rating, it would be a a disservice not to mention it. Erico Guido from Vinous gave this wine a rating upwards of 90 point, which in the wine review world is high. It is especially high for a southern Italian white wine. And I agree- this wine is fantastic and I always considered it southern Italy’s response to white burgundy. It is enjoyable now or keep for 5 years and watch it blossom into an entirely new flower. This is truly one of the best high end Fiano di Avellino on the market.

Luigi Tecce ‘Satyricon’ Campi Taurasini

Luigi Tecce is a big personality. Even among other producers in the Avellino and Taurasi areas he is known as a “personaggio”- his personality has given him a very clear wine ethos and style. He, like Matrone, is also a natural winemaker- organic grapes+ spontaneous fermentation+ low to no sulfur additions. His style is a bigger, more extracted version of Aglianico from Taurasi, but this is also due to his terrain which for the Campi Taurasini bottling is mostly clay.

Campi Taurasini is a surrounding appellation of Taurasi. Like in Barolo, most producers make a Langhe Nebbiolo as an earlier release wine, you can think of Taurasini similarly. Though Tecce’s Taurasini is quite powerful and has significant aging potential. This wine is worthy of a chalice: drink it with ripe cheeses and game meats like venison, and you’ll feel like a Medieval Lord.

Guastaferro Aglianico di Irpinia

Guastaferro is located right in the heart of the commune of Taurasi. Two and a half hectares consist of these massive, pre-phylloxera vines between 175 and 200 years of age. They are a sight to behold and recall what seems like a mythical past (you can find pictures of these on the Cittavino & Co. Website on Gustaferro’s producer page).

Guastaferro’s wines take on a more red fruited edge than those of Tecce (see above), and recall a bit more the perhaps passe’ saying, “Barolo of the South”. This bottling, while his entry Aglianico, is powerful and can age well. Indeed, the one members received in their shipment has a few good years on it.

Drink this wine with harder, less stinky cheeses, steaks and roasts.