WINE NEWS /
The Rebirth of Campania
by Daniel Thomases
Campania, whose
capital city Naples was already a major
center of Greek civilization
in southern Italy when Rome was little
more than a string of settlements scattered
across a series of hills on the banks
of the Tiber, has had a significant role
in the viticultural history of Italy
for over two and half millennia. The
most famous wine of the ancient world,
Falernum, was produced in the northern
part of the region, and vineyards not
only dotted the coasts of what have become
some of the world’s most famous
vacation spots – Sorrento, Amalfi,
Ravello – but were also a major
presence on the islands of Capri and
Ischia where by now only a stray vine
or two amidst hotels and beaches remind
us that the vine and the olive tree are
essentially Mediterranean, not simply
features in the landscape but a source
of sustenance, of life itself.
With the occasional exception of a majestic
bottle of Aglianico from the Taurasi appellation, modern times
have not been kind to
Campania and its wines. But there are strong signs that this is rapidly
changing and that the region’s viticultural productions will
soon have a prime role in Italian wine. One reason is the sheer quality
of the grapes: few varieties in the world have the power and intensity
of Aglianico, often referred to as the Nebbiolo of Italy’s
South for its concentration, length on the palate, structure, and
aging ability. Aglianico is almost certainly of Greek origin, not
exactly a surprise in a region where the marvellous Greek temples
of Paestum, still in pristine condition, testify to the importance
of the civilization of Magna Graecia, the Greek colonies which spread
through southern Italy after the year 1000 B.C. Its name is considered
a corruption of the word “Ellenico” (Hellenic) in Italian,
the spelling transformation being the logical consequence of centuries
of Spanish domination of southern Italy: in Italian, “gl” before
i and e is pronounced exactly like the Spanish double l.
Fine Aglianico was once almost entirely produced
in areas significantly inland from the coast, as unsettled conditions
in the Mediterranean – pirates
and warring fleets descended upon coastal cities to loot and destroy – made
civilized life much easier on higher ground. But the grape has now
returned to its original home, with new and significant wines appearing
both in the Paestum temple zone and in the northern coastal province
of Caserta, once the home of Falernum. A new vitality is equally
visible in Benevento province, an inland buffer between Caserta on
the coast and the Taurasi appellation deep in the interior.
Aglianico is far from the entire story, however. The 1990s have
seen a startling development of the quality of Falanghina, once considered
suitable for large amounts of juice and little else. The variety
is indeed healthy and vigorous, but more rigor in the vineyard and
lower yields have demonstrated it is capable of real aromatic interest,
redolent of pears and resin, with an important texture and depth.
Benevento is the center of better Falanghina production, and the
new bottles coming onto the market are a revelation of a complexity
hardly imaginable just a few years ago.
But the most unusual wines
in Campania are unquestionably those now coming out of Caserta,
once a regional backwater in the
overall scheme
of things, even if its magnificent royal palace and gardens, a
southern Italian version of Versailles created by the Bourbon
kings of Naples,
demonstrate that the area once had its own importance as well.
Made from neglected and virtually unknown grapes, just recently
legalized
for use in winemaking, Caserta wines have been greeted by almost
ecstatic praise and hailed as future super-stars in the Italian
firmament.
The varieties in question
are three: Pallagrello Bianco and Pallagrello Nero, and Casavecchia,
the latter two being red grapes and the former
white. Pallagrello seems more suitable for wines of elegance, style
and class - rich, smooth and silky, while Casavecchia gives red wines
almost inky in their concentration, depth and potency - bottles to
cellar and wait for as the structure softens and the flavors become
more complex. These wines are for a public looking to go beyond the
conventional, the tried and true, in search of new and different
sensations.
Daniel Thomases is the Italian wine reviewer
for Robert Parker’s
The Wine Advocate.
<< read
about Campania's Vestini Campagnano
<<
e-mail this page to a friend!
<< return to I-News
