The wine and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in the above photo are being donated to help raise money for the Ellie Fund’s Red Carpet Gala on March 15, 2026. https://elliefund.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/EllieFund30thRedCarpetGala2026/tabid/1565468/Default.aspx

The Ellie Fund raises funds to help ease the stresses of everyday life of breast cancer patients. The Ellie Fund provides essential support services free of charge, allowing the focus to facilitate recovery and healing. Support services includes the following: transportation to/from medical appointments, light housekeeping, childcare reimbursement, nutritious/prepared meals, oncology massage therapy and acupuncture. https://www.elliefund.org/

Description of the Producers of the Wine and EVOO

The producers are artisanal; small companies that produce less than 40,000 bottles of wine/EVOO in a manner that respects the environment. Of the 13 producers, 10 are entities owned and managed by women or are family owned in which a woman manages or co-manages the winery. Two of the women are breast cancer survivors and one lost her husband to a different form of cancer.

Description of Wine and EVOO

The wines and EVOO are produced in an “eco-friendly” manner; organic in the vineyard/grove and no intervention or low intervention in the cellar. None of the producers add chemicals or additives to change the taste profile of the wine (such as Mega Purple), except many add a trace of sulfites at bottling for the purpose of stabilizing the wine. They do not use mechanical methods to filter the wine, or additives such as fish bladder or gelatin to fine the wine.

From left to right, first the bottom row, then the top row:

Il Fric, Betty Iuorio and her husband Pasquale Mitrano make this pink Pet-Nat sparkling rose produced at Betty’s family farm. They were the first to popularize Pet-Nat wine in the Cilento area. The famous Noma restaurant, a three-star Michelin restaurant located in Copenhagen, for many years purchased nearly all of Betty’s and Pasquale’s 2,500 bottle production of If Fric. The restaurant served the wine as a complimentary welcoming drink from about 2015 to the beginning of Covid. In 2000 Betty Iuorio and her husband Pasquale Mitrano left their careers in Napoli to revitalize Betty’s family farm located in Torchiara, Salerno, Campania (the Cilento wine area). They are now the owners and have named the winery Casebianche. The wine is made with the Aglianico grape. No sulfites are added, the only sulfites in the wine are naturally occurring. Overall they produce about 25,000 bottles of wine per year.

Nero Ne Taurasi, Rita Pizza and her husband Enrico Romano make this powerful red wine with grapes from the Romano family vineyard. Soccorso and Pasqualina Romano (patriarch and matriarch) started bottling wine with their grapes in 2005. Prior to 2005, the family sold their grapes. Today the daily operations are managed by Soccorso’s and Pasqualina’s son Enrico and daughter-in-law Rita Pizza. Daughters Nadia and Tiziana and son-law Claudio Panetta are involved with marketing and sales. Rita along with Claudio are the members of the family that attend wine events.  Il Cancelliere is in Montemarano, Avellino, Campania (the Irpinia wine region). Taurasi is a full-bodied wine made with the Aglianico grape. Similar to Il Fric, no sulfites are added to the wine. The family produces about 20,000 bottles of wine per year.

Etna Rosso Contrada Santo Spirito, Valerie Costanza produces this red wine in the internationally acclaimed wine area of Mt Etna. Valerie and Mimmo Costanza purchased the vineyard in 2010. The Costanza family is the one of the biggest names in construction and renewable energy in Sicily and beyond. Valerie manages the winery, located in Passopisciaro, Catania, Sicily. She also oversaw the restoration of the 18th century Palmetto, a traditional volcanic stone building where wine was historically made with the use of gravity. One of her innovations in the modern cellar is the use of an egg shape oak barrel called “Ovum” to age the Etna Rosso Contrada Santo Spirito. The wine is made with the Nerello Mascalese (90%) and Nerello Cappuccio (10%) grapes. Etna Rosso wines are less intense than Taurasi. Valerie oversees the annual production of about 30.000 bottles per year.

Olio Extravergine di Oliva, extra virgin olive oil (“EVOO”) produced by Michele Passannante and his son Michele in Rionero in Vulture, Potenza, Basilicata. The EVOO is made with the Ogliarolo del Vulture olive. Michele and Antonio produce their EVOO in the traditional way with the use of large stone wheels to crush the olives into a thick paste.

Fiano di Baal, Francesco Salerno produces this white wine at the Salerno “Casa di Baal” family farm. The wine is made with the Fiano grape and ages in steel. In 1976 Annibale Salerno and his father bought the barren land in Macchia, Salerno, Campania for the farm. After clearing the land, the Salerno family first grew fruits, vegetables and olives. In the 1990’s the family started to bottle EVOO. In 2006, the family started to produce wine from vineyards it had planted. Annibale’s daughter Francesca manages the winery’s production of about 25,000 bottles per year. Her brother manages the EVOO production. Casa di Baal recently added farm animals and now the farm sponsors educational programs for local schools.

Kleopatra, Amalia Angelino produces this white wine at her family’s cantina, Regina Viarum. The vineyards have been in the Amalia’s mother’s family for over a century. In 2006 her mother, Elda Maddalena and her father, Pasquale Angelino, decided to bottle their wine. Amalia is responsible for the production of the white and sparkling wines. In 2018, Amelia decided to age Kleopatra in amphora. The wine is made with the Falanghina grape. Regina Viarum is located in Falerno del Massico, Caserta, Campania on the Appian Way, a 350-mile road built in 312 BC to provide a route from Rome to the seaside town of Brindisi. Regina Viarum translated from Latin means “Queen of the Road”. Amalia and her parents produce about 25,000 bottles per year.

Picoli, Marilena Aufiero produces this white wine. In 2009 Marilena gave up her career as an attorney to help her father who had started the winery – Bambinuto – in 2006. Today Marilena owns and manages the winery. The winery is located in Santa Paolina, in the Irpinia wine area. Picoli is a Greco di Tufo wine. Marilena is an innovator. Instead of producing a Taurasi wine, she makes a red wine that is a blend of different vintages of Aglianico grapes and different fermentation processes. In 2013, Marilena was one of the first in Irpinia to make a sparkling wine. She also produces a passito and a grappa. In addition to wine products, she produces jams and crackers. Her cantina is modest, which she affectionately refers to as a “Garage Wine”. She oversees the production of about 25,000 bottles per year.

Fervore, Giuseppe Chiapetta produces this red wine made with the Calabrian indigenous grape Magliocco. Terre di Balbia, the name of the winery, was started in 2001, but featured grapes that were not indigenous to Calabria. Giuseppe, an engineer who lives nearby in Cosenza, purchased the winery in 2014. With the assistance of his brother and nephews, he replaced Sangiovese and other non-indigenous grapes in 7 of the 8 hectares with indigenous grapes; Magliocco and Gaglioppo. He did, however, leave one hectare of Merlot grapes. His reasoning is that the vines are “historic” in that they are over 30 years old. Terre di Balbia is located in Altomonte, Cosenza, Calabria. Giuseppe produces between 25,000 to 30,000 bottles per year.

Le Drude, Michele Laluce with the assistance of one of his four daughters, Maddalena, produces this red wine. The name Le Drude was given by the Piedmontese soldiers out of respect during the Italian Risorgimento (1861-1870) to the fierce fighting courageous peasant women of the Lucanian brigands. This wine is dedicated to their courage and braveness. At the right part of the label is a silhouette of two “Le Drude” women. Note Lucania is the ancient name for the part of Italy where the winery is located. In addition to Maddelana, the other three daughters are involved with the winery operations. Donatella operates the farm equipment and oversees the care of the farm animals, Caterina is responsible for the books and Michela helps when not studying at school. The winery is located just barely within the boundary of Venosa, Potenza, Basilicata. The winery’s office is located in the adjacent town of. Ginestra. Le Drude is made with the Aglianico grape. The Laluce family produces between 30,000 and 40,000 bottles per year.

Nulla e` per caso, “Nothing is by chance” is a red wine produced by Teresa Mincione; an attorney and wine journalist who changed careers to purchase a winery and pursue her dream of becoming a winemaker. In 2021 Teresa purchased the prestigious Terre del Principe vineyards located in Castel Campagnano, Caserta, Campania. Interestingly, the owners of Terre del Principe also changed careers to own and operate a winery. Manuela Piancastelli was a wine journalist and Peppe Mancini was an attorney – Teresa is a composite. Teresa’s choice of the name of the wine is a reflection of her well thought out journey in becoming a winemaker. This wine is made with the Casavecchia grape, which she ages in amphora. She has added a couple additional wines to her portfolio – a Pallagrello Nero and a Pallagrello Bianco. Teresa’s cantina is located in Caiazzo, which is near the vineyards. Currently, her annual production is a little over 5,000 bottles per year but will increase over time.

Ragis, Patrizia Malanga produces this red wine, which is a blend of the Aglianico and Piedirosso grapes. Her vineyard, which is located on the Amalfi Coast in a frazione of Raito in the town of Vietri sul Mare, Salerno, Campania, features stunning panoramic views of the Gulf of Salerno and the Tyrrhenian Sea. In 2001, Patrizia purchased the land to plant the vineyard. It took a couple of years for her to complete the plantings, which she did herself by hand. She did so that she would fully appreciate the difficulty of working in a vineyard on terraced land. Her first vintage was not until 2007. With the part time assistance of her two daughters, Patrizia produces less than 5,000 bottles per year, but due to her stunning vista and the location of the winery in the easternmost town on the Amalfi Coast, she has well attended wine tastings and lunches on her covered patio. Patrizia also hosts small weddings. Le Vigne di Raito is bellisimo.

Fren Taurasi, Stefania Barbot produces this red wine. Fren is made from grapes in Stefania’s vineyard located in Paternopoli, Avellino, Campania, a town adjacent to the towns of Montemarano (where Il Cancelliere is located) and Castelfranci. Red wines made from vineyards in these three towns are considered among the best in the Irpinia wine region and all of Southern Italy. In 2010, Stefania and her husband Erminio Spezia purchased the vineyard that included vines older than 70 years. This was the fulfillment of the couple’s dream. Stefania and Erminio operated the cantina out of a converted warehouse but had plans for a modern cantina with a tasting room. Sadly, Erminio became ill and passed away before the couple’s plans for a modern cantina could become reality. Over the past couple of years, Stefania, with the assistance of her two daughters has continued the dream of producing a quality “softer” Taurasi than the more traditional robust Taurasi. She produces about 30,000 bottles per year.

Piu` Vite, Sergio Arcuri produces this red wine made with the Gaglioppo grape in Ciro` Marina, Crotone, Calabria. Sergio’s family has a long history with the cultivation of grapes and winemaking dating back to his great-grandfather. The family, however, up until 2009 would produce bulk wine and sell excess grapes. In that year Sergio, along with his father and brother modernized the winery and began bottling wine. Sergio is an environmentalist, an ardent supporter of chemical free wines and a traditionalist. He ferments the grapes in an open palmento style vessel from which the juice flows by gravity to a cement vessel  where the wine ages.. When the local DOC consortium, which is dominated by large producers, relaxed the requirements to allow non-Gaglioppo grapes to be added to the wine and still  be classifed as Ciro` Riserva DOC certified wine, Sergio and several of his colleagues refused to “compromise” their wine. They are continuing the tradition of Ciro` Riserva being comprised of 100% Gaglioppo grapes – no Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot or other non-Gaglioppo grapes to be added to “maximize” the production of Ciro` Riserva wine. Sergio and his colleagues refer to themselves as the Ciro` Revolution. Sergio produces about 25,000 bottles per year.