On Friday April 8, 2022, we will be holding a private tasting in connection with raising funds  for a public charity. One of the hosts of the event has ancestry from the City of Benevento and the Town of Calvi, Benevento. There will be 12 wines as part of the tasting and a welcoming wine. Several of the wines will be from wineries near either Benevento or Calvi. The other wines will be from some of the other regions of the South. All wines to be tasted are from producers that abide by organic or biodynamic and/or natural/low intervention practices.  See my May 5, 2021 blog post for a discussion of these different winemaking classifications. https://southernitalywine.com/natural-wines-low-or-minimal-intervention-wines-and-the-use-of-additives/. Several of the producers belong to groups that promote independent wineries that abide by eco-friendly practices: RAW WINE, Triple A Movement, Federazione Italiana Vignaioli Indipendti (FIVI) and Vinibuona Italia eco-friendly. These groups are described below.

Welcoming Wine

Il Fric Aglianico Rosato Paestum 2020 – made with the aglianico grape by Azienda Agricola Casebianche, Torchiara, Salerno,  Campania. Il Fric is a dry sparkling wine from the Cilento area of Salerno (south of the Amalfi Coast and the City of Salerno). This is a perfect or 100% natural wine; there are no additives, not even a tiny quantity of sulfites at bottling as are most natural/low intervention wines.  There are no clarifying agents,

despite the second fermentation in the bottle. The only sulfites in the wine naturally occur; sulfites are 8 parts per million {“ppm”). To provide a perspective: USA allows up to 350 ppm of sulfites to be in wine. Organic producers per EU standards are allowed to add sulfites; but per  EU standards organic wines cannot exceed 100 ppm, though most organic producers are far below the standard.  Note that natural/low intervention winemakers add sulfites generally in amounts less than organic producers.  The husband/wife combination of Pasquale Mitrano and Elisabetta Iuorio, both architects, moved from Naples to assume ownership of Elisabetta’s father’s vineyard in the late 1990s. Casebianche, which is a member of Raw Wine (an association of natural/low intervention producers) https://www.rawwine.com/ and FIVI (an association of smaller independent producers) https://www.fivi.it/en/, has an annual production of about 30,000 bottles.

Torrevale Greco di Tufo 2018 – made with the greco di tufo grape by Azienda Agricola Dell’Angelo, Tufo, Avellino, Campania (8 miles from Calvi, Benevento). The vineyard is located on the top of abandoned sulfur mines on a steep slope,

which is tended to only by hand. (A jeep ride to the summit is harrowing!) The vineyard thrives in a natural habitat, no pesticides or herbicides, just abundant grasses, wildflowers and butterflies. Dell’Angelo is the only vineyard in Tufo on abandoned sulfur mines, hence, resulting in Dell’Angelo’s unique interpretation of the greco di tufo grape. The proprietor, Angelo Muto, is a multi-generational farmer, but the first in the family to bottle for regional and international markets (in 1983 a small production only for the local market ceased to operate). Prior to his first vintage in 2006, the family sold grapes. In close collaboration with his friend and enologist, Luigi Sarno, Angelo produces an unfiltered low intervention wine that is spontaneously fermented. Only a small amount of sulfites are added at bottling. Angelo produces approximately 22,000 bottles per year. Dell’Angelo is a member of Raw Wine https://www.rawwine.com/.

 

Le Serole 2018 Terre del Volturno made with the pallagrello bianco grape by Terre del Principe, Squille (frazione), Castel Campagnano, Caserta. Manuela Piancastelli, a journalist,  and Peppe Mancini, an attorney, are a  husband/wife team that produce wines with grapes that Peppe “re-discovered”. Wines made from the  pallagrello bianco and pallagrello nero grapes, which were popular during the reign of the Bourbon kings, but fell out of favor after the unification of Italy (1861) and the devastation resulting from phylloxera (late 18oo’s). Despite the lack of commercial production of the grapes, local farmers still produced small quantities of “homemade” wine from these grapes. But over time, even the “homemade” wine disappeared. However, in the mid-1990’s Peppe “rediscovered”  these grapes and with the assistance of another attorney produced the first commercially vintage of pallagrello based wines in many decades. In 2003, Peppe and Manuela started their own company; Terre del Principe.

They produce about 22,000 bottles per year. The grapes for Le Serole are soft crushed and pressed and fermented half in stainless steel and half in new barrique for three months. The wine is then combined and aged 6 months in stainless steel and another 6 months in the bottle. Their wines are EU certified organic and they are members of FIVI https://www.fivi.it/en/.

Red Wines

Cuore di Marchese Etna Rosso 2016 made with nerello mascalese and nerello cappuccino grapes by Azienda Agricola Papa Maria, Castiglione di Sicilia, Catania, Sicilia. The vineyard is located in Solicchiata, a town next to Castiglione di Sicilia. Pietro Di Giovanni, the owner of Papa Maria, produces Cuore di Marchese from a vineyard that is over 60 years old and located at 730 meters.  There is spontaneous fermentation and 20 day maceration in selected open Tonneau oak barrels made from the French forest of Allier. The wine is refined in wood and amphorae for a minimum of 18 months and aged in bottle for three months. In 2016 Pietro produced only 900 bottles of Cuore di Marchese. Pietro is part of a newly established four member consortium, Produttori Etna Nord. The members are small producers located on the northern side of Etna, all committed to continuing the production of natural wine and extra virgin olive oil. Pietro is also the winemaker for Vini Quantico, a producer of 10,000 bottle per annum. Vini Quantico is located in Linguaglosa, but its Etna Rosso vineyard is rented from Pietro.

‘Piu` Vite’ Ciro` Riserva  2013 –  made with the gaglioppo grape by Azienda Agricola Sergio Arcuri, Ciro Marina, Crotone, Calabria. The grapes are grown in two vineyards, one planted in 1948 in clay

with a little limestone, and one planted in 1980 in clay with loam and red sand. ‘Piu` Vite’ is made from grapes from the older vineyard. It is spontaneously fermented in open ‘palmento’ fermenters in the traditional non-intervention method used by farmers of past generations. After fermentation the wine is moved to cement tanks by gravity (which lessens the stress on the wine) and ages for four years before bottling. Sergio and his brother Francesco own and manage the small 20,000 bottles per year production. The family has a long tradition of winemaking. Sergio’s and Francesco’s great-grandfather produced wine and olive oil over 120 years ago. But their grandfather sold the family vineyard. Sergio’s and Francesco’s father purchased new land from which he made “cask wine” for locals. In 2009 Sergio and Francesco modernized the cellar and converted the winery to bottling. Sergio Arcuri is a certified organic winery that produces natural wines and belongs to the Triple A Movement (https://www.triplea.it/it/)  and FIVI https://www.fivi.it/en/. 

 

Uvanera Rosso Molise Riserva 2016 – made with the tintilia grape by La Cantina di Remo, Ferrazzano, Campobasso, Molise. Roberto De Stefano, a self taught agronomist, manages the small family farm located 700 meters high.  In 1963

Roberto’s parents, Remo and Elisa, left Torino (Roberto’s birthplace) and returned to Ferrazzano, their land of origin, to farm 10 hectares of land. At first the family grew fruits and vegetables. Remo introduced the barbera grape (more than likely the varietal from adjacent province of Benevento, Campania) from which he made wine for family use. In 2005, Roberto repositioned the vineyard by replacing all grapes with the indigenous tintilia grape. This grape, which was the most widespread grape variety in Molise over 100 years ago, disappeared as a varietal post World War II due to the abandonment of farms. It was “re-discovered” in the late 1990’s. Many wineries now in Molise produce wine with the tintilia grape.

Roberto, who has a second job as a teacher of chemistry at a local school, produces only 6,000 bottles per annum at Cantina di Remo. He is organic in the vineyard; uses only copper and sulphur in the spring, but does add manure or fava beans as do many organic producers. Roberto has roses that act as sentinels to protect the grapes from disease. He

knows every plant in his eight hectare vineyard and that the northwest section of the vineyard produces the best yield. In the cellar his wines are non-filtered and only a small amount of sulfites is added after two days of fermentation. He ages the wine primarily in stainless steel, but his Riserva will age in oak for two years.  Cantina di Remo was designated as Eco-Friendly in 2018 by Vini Buoni d’Italia Touring Club. https://vinibuoni.it/premio-ecofriendly/

 

Ragis Costa D’Amalfi 2015 – made with a blend of  aglianico (80%) and piedirosso (20%) grapes by Le Vigne di Rait0 Azienda Agricola Agriturista Biologica, Raito (a frazione of Vietri sul Mare, the most eastern  town on the Amalfi Coast), Salerno, Campania. The owner, Patrizia Malanga, purchased the terraced land in 2001. It took Patrizia six years before she produced her first vintage. To appreciate the difficult labor to be encountered by her workers associated with maintaining a terraced vineyard,

Patrizia, herself, planted the vineyard. The aglianico and piedirosso grapes are vinified separately in stainless steel fermentation vessels where they macerate for over 15 days under controlled temperature. Then the two wines are transferred into 500 liter French oak barrels and assembled before malolactic fermentation begins. The wine ages in the barrels for 12 months before it is bottled. After some racking procedures and without any further interventions such as clarification or filtration, Ragis continues to age in the bottle. The winery features a spectacular vista from its tasting patio over looking the Gulf of Salerno. Le Vigne di Raito  produces less than 5,000 bottles per year. It is EU certified organic and produces natural/low intervention wines.

 

Lauranti Aglianico del Taburno DOCG 2014 – made with the aglianico grape by Azienda Agricola Lauranti, Ponte, Benevento (about 9 miles from the City of Benevento), Campania.  The vineyard has been in the family since the early 1900’s. The family’s Great-Grandfather, Giovanni Iorio, moved to America and with savings from his earnings bought land near Mt. Pentine for the family vineyard. Upon his return he planted the vineyard and along with a team of workers (9 or 10) maintained and harvested the vineyard. These workers in dialect were called laurants. The company’s name, Lauranti, is in recognition of these early workers.

The vineyard is 4 hectares (8.4 acres) at an elevation over 300 meters located in Torrecuso, BN. Donato, Giovanni’s grandson, along with his wife and three children maintain the vineyard.  As is the story with many small family owned Southern Italian wine producers, the Iorio family sold their grapes for many years. In 2008,  the family produced its first bottle for the market, a falanghina based wine. In 2012, the family produced its first red wine. One week before harvest they cut the branches. This process “dies out” the grapes before harvest. After harvest the grapes are subject to a soft press prior to fermentation. The Aglianico del Taburno 2014 ages 20 months in steel, 4 months in Tonneau and 4 months in the bottle. Lauranti produces about 9,000 bottles of organic wine per year.

Le Drude Aglianico del Vulture 2012 – made with the aglianico grape,  Azienda Agricola Michele Laluce, Ginestra, Potenza, Basilicata. Michele Laluce, with his wife Maria and four daughters, oversees the operation of the winery. Caterina manages the finances of the winery, Maddalena, an enologist, is the wine-maker, Donatella, an agronomist operates the machinery and manages the farm animals, and Michela is studying culinary. The grapes are grown in volcanic soil near the extinct volcano Mt. Vulture. Since 1905 the Laluce family has produced wine, but only since 2001 has the wine been bottled for commercial purposes. Laluce, which produces about 40,000 bottles per year, is certified organic. Michele and Maddalena adhere to natural winemaking. When the conditions are conducive they use exclusively natural yeasts in the

fermentation process. Only 10 ppm of sulfites are added at bottling. Le Drude is fermented in stainless steel, aged for two years in oak barrels and for one to two years in the bottle before release. Le Drude was the name that the Piedmontese army gave to the courageous Brigand women of the Vulture area that fought the Piedmontese armed forces post-unification (after 1861). To honor these women Michele named his top wine Le Drude. Another historical note: the town of Ginestra was founded by a community of Albanian exiles led by the condottiere Francesco Zhura, who in 1478 after receiving land from the ruling Aragonese, started the community. The Albanian origins continue to live on in the traditions of the people of Ginestra. The town is designated as an Arbereshe’ community and features street signs written in both Italian and Arbereshe`.

 

Vina` Aglianico Irpinia 2015 – made with the aglianico grape, Tenuta Vincenzo Nardone, Venticano, Avellino (adjacent to Calvi, Benevento), Campania. Nicola Nardone, or Pupo as he is affectionately known, was born in Benevento and has been working in the family’s Venticano vineyards since he was 6 years old. His great grandfather purchased the land in 1908. At the outset, the family grew tobacco in addition to grapes.  As with many Southern Italian farmers, the Nardone family sold excess grapes not used  for their family wines to other Irpinia

producers, including Mastroberdardino.  Pupo in 2014 produced the Tenuta’s first vintage for the commercial market. He is carrying on his family’s traditions, blending past and present to craft some of Irpinia’s best natural wines. Pupo, has a full time helper and seeks his father’s, Celestino,  advice and assistance from time to time. Celestino was a renown teacher of agronomy in the City of Avellino. Pupo’s wife, Sarah Pompei, participates with the others in the harvest and pruning. The Tenuta is named after Pupo’s late brother. Vina` is a 100% natural wine as their are no additives (including no sulfites at bottling used to stabilize the wine), no fining or filtering and the use only of indigenous yeasts. Tenuta Vincenzo Nardone produces about 30,000 bottles per year.

 

Massale Taurasi Riserva, 2010 – made with the aglianico grape,  Societa’ Agricola Antico Castello s.a.s. di Romano Francesco e Chiara, San Mango sul Calore, Avellino, Campania. Francesco and Chiara have been charged with the responsibility of assuming the leadership of the family’s vineyards. With the assistance of their parents, the brother/sister combination produce wines in a large newly constructed cellar capable of vinifying more than their annual production of 50,000 bottles. Francesco and Chiara lease their excess capacity to other small local producers who do not have a cantina.   Antico Castello also features a large modern tasting room overlooking the vineyard. The Taurasi is made from hand-picked grapes in early November. The wine ages in both barrique and Tonneau barrels. The farm, named after a castle destroyed in the devastating earthquake of 1980, adheres to organic practices. The Romano family has produced wine for regional and international markets since 2007. In addition to wine, Antico Castello also cultivates figs, cherries and chestnuts and produces a delicious dessert wine called Amarenico. Antico Castello is a member of FIVI https://www.fivi.it/en/.

 

 

Primum Taurasi 2010 – made with the aglianico grape, Azienda Agricola Raffaele Guastaferro, Taurasi, Avellino, Campania. In 2003, Raffaele’s father made the wine available for sale. In 201o,

Raffaele assumed the leadership of the winery. Prior to 2003, the family sold grapes to the large Campania based winery Feudi San Gregorio. Guastaferro has an annual production of about 10,000 bottles from vineyards located in Taurasi, which have been owned by the family for over 200 years. Primum is made with grapes from 200-year-old vines. The old vines produce tiny amounts of  concentrated juice and it shows in the finished wines. Per Raffaele, the “magic” of the old vines results in little work in the cellar.  Raffaele is a quiet unassuming artisan who shuns the spotlight. His cantina is an oversized garage. He does not have a modern tasting room as one tastes his wine in an old style kitchen (circa 1950’s) above his cantina. His wines tend to be overlooked when first released, but as they age their power and grace become evident.  Primum 2010 is one such example of a “late-blooming” wine. Antonio Galloni, arguably the foremost Italian wine critic, wrote in 2018 that Guastaferro’s 2010 Primum was the best full-bodied red Italian wine that he tasted in that year.