6 Campania white wines from rare grapes

From Campania Felix emerges a colorful and diverse world with dozens and dozens of native grapes, little known and rooted in even very small territories, for a heritage of bidiversity all to be known and saved from oblivion.

Campania is the realm of native grape varieties, one of the oldest territories as a nucleus of vine settlement and counting the presence of numerous centuries-old strains saved from phylloxera, which have helped preserve varieties from extinction. A number that has no equal in any other region and that exceeds 100 biotypes, which related even outside Italy, such as those of France, far exceeds them. A true varietal heritage, rich in tradition and culture, which over the past decade has seen producers and institutions committed to recovering different varieties of the native species and thus continue to produce typical and valuable wines. 

Grapes with strongly recognizable aromatic profiles that are the real actors of territories characterized by environments suitable for cultivation, with different soil conformations and different pedo-climatic conditions that provide the background and favor cultivation. From the coast to the volcano, from the surrounding areas to inland areas, each area has its own grape varieties that live in tune with the environment and have adapted over the centuries to the local geography.

Fragmented and in some cases heroic production. Just think of the terraces of the Amalfi and Sorrento Coasts, where vines grow set into the rock, or the islands of the Gulf of Naples with vineyards sloping down to the sea. The extremity of the crop also laps at the mouth of Vesuvius and the solfataras of the Campi Flegrei, where most of the century-old vines dwell. 

The common thread of white grape varieties remains Falanghina, the true dominus of the vineyard, where around it gravitate so many native varieties that make Campania colorful and diverse. Rediscovered, rediscovered and identified grapes (as in the case of Caprettone mistaken for Coda di volpe) that have built a bridge between the past and the present, and that thanks to the geographical position, volcanic soils, mild climate and naturalistic and cultural expressions that are intertwined with deep-rooted and ancient customs, make it unique. Pallagrello bianco, Coda di pecora, Caprettone, Catalanesca, Aspirino, Forestera, are a tiny fraction of the grapes that identify Campania Felix from ancient origins. 

We point out six wines that circumscribe small production areas of great value, where quantities are reduced to a minimum and which are worth tasting to get to know hidden gems that contribute to making extraordinary a land that does not leave the soul, the heart and the palate indifferent, and not least, from the excellent price/quality ratio.

• Alois, Terre del Volturno Pallagrello Bianco Caiatì 2022 
• Il Verro, Terre del Volturno Coda di Pecora Sheep 2021
• Sorrentino, Vesuvio Caprettone Benita’31 2022
• Cantine Olivella, Catalanesca del Monte Somma Katà 2022
• Antonio Mazzella, Ischia Forastera 2022 
• I Borboni, Asprinio d’Aversa Vite Maritate 2022 

As always, to read the tasting notes, click on the names.

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