All tagged Wine

A Guide to Campania Red Wines

Far before the rise of the Roman Empire, Campania was already cultivating an intriguing array of grapes and fermenting into richly volcanic wines. Ancient Greek mariners fleeing the Trojan Wars (at least if Virgil is to be believed) brought the first vines or vitis vinifera to Southern Italy.  The first red varietals included Piedirosso and Aglianco- a grape whose very name means ‘Hellenic’ in local dialect.  Later Roman nobility would consider Campania’s wines the best in the Empire.  While Campania has experienced invasions, volcanic explosions, earthquakes and plagues, her vinicultural traditions continue to surprise and delight. Here we outline the most notable Campania red wines.  You can find the companion Guide to Campania White Wines here.

A Guide to Campania White Wines

 

I enjoy both the pleasure and responsibility of introducing foreign guests to the wines of Campania.  While it is true that many just want to get blotto on vacation (and who can blame them for coming to us—we call ourselves Sauced & Found after all)—it is equally the case that many of you want a fully immersive Campania wine experience.  This is where the fun begins.  Campania, thanks to its wildly varied topography and volcanic soil is the most biodiverse region in Italy.  The same soil that gives the world the spectacular San Marzano tomato and squeaky buffalo mozzarella, also produces some of our most stimulating wines.