Tasting Wine and Visiting Wineries in Campania
Even though Campania Stories was taking place only a few weeks after I had returned from Naples, I decided to attend. It seemed like a unique opportunity to taste many wines of the Campania Region, speak with the producers over dinner and visit the wineries. When one gets the opportunity to go to Italy, one goes.
The event is usually held in Naples but this year it was being held in Benevento at the Una Hotel Il Molino. One of the organizers, Diana Cataldo, said it was because the area experienced terrible flooding and there was great damage done to local agriculture. The damage could be seen as I drove around the countryside to visit the wineries.
On the form that the organizers sent me, there was a list of 72 wineries that I could visit. I chose 10 wineries, 2 from each of the wine producing provinces that we were going to visit. This way I would get to see the province and taste the wine that is produced there. Listed below are the provinces with the wine producing regions and the wines I visited: [4]
Provincia di CASERTA: Alto Casertano and Colline Caiatine-Terre del Volturne.
Alois and Villa Matilde
Provincia di BENEVENTO: Sannio.
Fontanavecchia amd Mustilli
Provincia di AVELLINO: Irpinia,
Donnachiara, Feudi di San Gregorio, Di Meo and Sertura
There were four here because one was added when I was there and another on the Amalfi Coast was cancelled because of a rockslide.
Provincia di NAPOLI: Campi Flegrei e Isole Arcipelago Campano, Vesuvio, Penisole Sorrentino.
La Sibilla
Provincia di SALERNO: Costiere Amalfitana, Colli Salernitani e Picentini, Cilento.
Sammarco Ettore
I visited ten wineries in five days and really enjoyed all of my visits.
Over four mornings I tasted 102 white wines and 77 red wines. As I have said often, Campania over all makes the best and most interesting white wines in Southern Italy and this was proven again by the tasting: Lacryma Christi Bianco,Furore Bianco, Coda di Volpe, Pallagrello Bianco, Falerno del Massico, Falanghina, Fiano di Avellino, and Greco di Tufo among others.
There are also a number of interesting and unique red wines including:Gragnano, Piedirosso, Casavecchia, Pallagrello Nero, Furore Rosso, Falerno del Massico Rosso, Aglianico and Taurasi among others.