In the early 1990’s on their family estate, four cousins — Maria Luisa Murena, Arturo and Dora Celentano, and Francesco Catello — began producing wine for commercial distribution instead of sending their grapes north to fortify or add coloring to weaker wines.  As noted in earlier blog posts, the transformation of Southern Italian winemakers from suppliers of grapes to producers of their own wines is common.  In the case of Galardi, the estate, which has been owned by the family for over 150 years, has been transformed into an internationally acclaimed winery http://www.terradilavoro.com.  Over the past 20 years, Galardi has established itself as a leading  producer of wine made with a blending of the aglianico and piedirosso grapes. Its only wine, Terra di Lavoro, has received the coveted and prestigious tre bicchieri award from the Italian wine guide Gambero Rosso for the last 12 years.  Galardi has received many other prestigious awards which, coupled with its limited production of about 30,000 bottles, give Terra di Lavoro cult status.

Galardi vineyard is located at an elevation of 400 meters on a summit which is kept cool in evenings by a sea breeze from the nearby Gulf of Gaeta. From the summit, there is a panoramic view of the countryside (see my mother, Angela, in photo above) and on a clear day the Gulf is visible. The soil, like that of many Campania wineries, has been influenced by ashes from an extinct volcano, Mount Roccamonfina.  The enriched soil, warm days, and cool

evenings create an ideal growing condition for the indigenous aglianico and piedirosso grapes.

The winery is tucked away in the northwest corner of Campania in the frazione of San Carlo (1,000 inhabitants).  One must drive through several of the small frazioni that comprise the town of Sessa Aurunca to reach Galardi.   There is no signage for the winery, thus one must have an understanding of which narrow road, lined with olive and chestnut trees, to take to get there.

When we visited several years ago, Maria Luisa Murena gave us a tour of the cellar and vineyard and highlighted that Galardi’s chemical free, natural viticulture is certified organic.  She then invited us to her home located on the estate (her cousins also have homes on the estate) for a tasting

of the Terra di Lavoro 2009 vintage.  Maria Luisa provided a condensed family history. Her late husband was a baron. Her family has direct links to the Spaniards that ruled the Naples Kingdom prior to the Bourbon reign. In fact her last name, Murena, is of Spanish origin.

I encourage readers to try Terra di Lavoro, but a heads up — it is an expensive wine when compared to other wines reviewed in previous blog posts.