Campania Wine

There are three reasons for you to know Campania.

The first reason is geography. If you consider Italy in its most common designation, the boot, then Campania is the shin of the Italian leg surrounding the city of Naples. The second reason is that Campania is the location of Mount Vesuvius. The 79 BC eruption of Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii killing 2000 people including Pliny the Elder (more on him shortly). The third reason to know Campania is wine.

Italian wines have for many years been divided into the world of the north and the world of the south. The north is home to Tuscany and Piedmont and to winemaking stars such as Antinori and Gaja. The south is the home to rustic wines that are popular with indigenous populations but were largely ignored by the wine consuming population outside of southern Italy.

Okay…so now a little background on Pliny the Elder and his connection to this post.

Although the location and the specific date of his birth are cloudy, there is general agreement that Pliny was the child of a middle-ranking Roman noble. Pliny served honorably in the Roman military, practiced law during the time of the Emperor Nero, and was a prolific writer. He generated a 20-volume history of the Germanic Wars, multiple studies of grammar and rhetoric and eventually a nearly 40-volume study of natural history that was so extensive as to be referred to as the first encyclopedia.

Pliny enjoyed food (as evidenced by his considerable girth) and was particularly fond of beer and wine. His death, likely in his mid-50s, during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, is attributed to a more likely heart attack caused by asthma and obesity rather than inhaling the toxic fumes of the volcanic event.

More to the point, in his study of natural history, Pliny suggests that the Middle East (broadly including Greece) is the origin on viticulture and that wine provided a ‘curative’ value for the consumer. He offered advice to vineyard managers and winemakers regarding both the trellising of grapes and the aging of already fermented juice. And, Pliny particularly liked the ‘nutty’ white wines produced from the Fiano varietal.

Thus, a return to a discussion of Campania.

Campania is ideal for grape production. Rocky and elevated vineyards, not surprisingly dominated by volcanic ash, generate high temperatures during the growing season that are moderated by Mediterranean coastal breezes. Many of the region’s vines are old, and the vines, unlike many of Europe’s, were not impacted by the Phylloxera issues of the mid-19th Century. The Phylloxera  louse could not survive  in volcanic soil. The growing season is long, and the combination of climate and soil produce fruit that is both crisp (due to high acidity balanced by floral dominated flavor profiles) and food friendly.

Although publications have recently, and rightly, focused on the extraordinary white wines of the region, locally grown Aglianico reds have enjoyed well-deserved attention. Aglianico produced in the Taurasi DOCG area are occasionally referred to as the ‘Barolo of the South’. However, that their best wine can only be appreciated by being compared to another regions best work is an indication that Campania still suffers from a ‘wine inferiority complex’.

However, things are looking up. The region had just 9 D.O.C. denominations in 1975…there are 19 today. In fact, “about 75% of Campania’s production is now D.O.C.G. designated. Those wines labeled D.O.C. meet government mandated standards regarding quality production standards. There are over 300 wines produced in Italy that meet the DOC standards. However, so many wines were earning the DOC designation that a DOCG status was awarded to those wines that met an even higher standard of production and quality. The drive to achieve an ‘alphabet soup’ status has encouraged wineries to improve “vineyard management, harvesting methods, and cellar techniques”.

We recently had an opportunity to taste a 2017 Ciro Picariello Irpinia Fiano from the heart of the Campania region.

There are five geographic provinces in Campania, and each of those five make wine. “The most renowned is the province of Irpinia, which is the historically correct name of the province of Avellino”, and is located just east of Naples, with nearly 100,000 acres of vines.

Among those 100,000 are the 17 acres (two separate locations) of Ciro Picariello that produce less than 900 cases of Irpinia Fiano. The Fiano sourced from nearly 30-year-old clay, loam and sandstone vineyards. They hand-pick their grapes, and those grapes are then “carefully sorted and pressed slowly”. The winery uses stainless steel tanks and the ambient yeast found naturally in the vineyard.

Ciro Picariello limits the use of SO2 and they neither filter nor fine their wines. Finally, the wines spend two months in bottle before release.

The Irpinia is the ‘entry level’ of Ciro Picariello Fiano production. They also bottle an Avellino designation labeled DOCG. The Irpinia offers a medium body with soft elements of honeysuckle and orange rind on the nose, excellent acidity and minerality are added to the fruit on the palate, and through the finish. This is an ideal wine to enjoy with light pasta and shellfish. The Irpinia would also be excellent way to sit on your porch or deck and enjoy the last warm days before Fall temperatures take control.  The wine can age for up to three years.

The Irpinia is the $20 range, and despite its limited production, is available throughout across the United States. In the South Carolina Low-country you could find it at Accent on Wine. Recent vintages of the Ciro Picariello Fiano Avellino DOCG are also available nationwide, but for a few dollars more.

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