On the table a beautiful bottle of Falanghina

Falanghina is a white grape variety found mainly in Campania, very traditional in the areas of Campi Flegrei, Sannio Beneventano, Irpinia and Massico. Many believe it is a very ancient variety and was a component of Falerno, the prized Campanian wine that the ancient Romans drank. Its fortunes, however, faded with the passage of time. It suffered during the phylloxera epidemic in the early 20th century and continued to lose ground after the two world wars, when many of its vineyards were abandoned.  

 

In recent years it has been experiencing some commercial success due to its simple freshness and drinkability. The resulting wines are light whites with delicately aromatic scents.

 

We have chosen three, distinguished by their excellent value for money. 

 

Fontanavecchia winery is located in Torrecuso, west of Benevento. Libero Rillo, owner of this winery, is one of the "daddies" of Falanghina del Sannio, a wine he feels strongly about and often succeeds in making to great effect. 

 

La Guardiense is one of the most important and well-established cooperative wineries in Italy and churns out excellent wines at great prices. It relies on a thousand member farmers who cultivate about 1,500 hectares of vineyards. We are in the Sannio region, in Santa Lucia di Guardia Sanframondi, and here at 350-450 meters above sea level, the special Janare project is born, a line of wines resulting from the first viticultural zoning carried out in Campania, a project focused on one third of the cooperative's hectares.

 

Finally, we move to Irpinia, where Oreste De Santis dedicates himself to the family winery, Macchie Santa Maria, with excellent results, making use of a modern structure, careful agronomy and ancient Irpinian traditions to produce wine. We are in Montemiletto, where the climate is affected by the temperature changes necessary for the healthy development of the grapes. Its wines, adherent to the terroir, are the result of integrated viticulture that sees classic native vines planted on varied soils. 

 

Here are the three Falanghines we have chosen, click on the name to read the sheet.