Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Falanghina
fl oral and loaded with green apple and lemony
aromas and fl avors that are nothing like those
of Greco. Given the delicate nature of their aro-
mas and fl avors and the high, refreshing acid-
ity, I don't think that oak aging is at all neces-
sary with Erbaluce wines, though of course that
hasn't stopped producers from trying.
Though nobody will ever mistake a wine
made with Erbaluce for a blockbuster, when
well made these wines are a marvel of balance,
with minerally, crisp, white fl ower and fruit
aromas and fl avors combining hints of chloro-
phyll and apricots. It's true that poor examples
can be marred by eye-watering acidity, but this
same high natural acidity has given us spar-
kling wines in increasing numbers. Made
either by refermentation in the bottle in the
manner of Champagne or by the Charmat
method like Prosecco, these can be marvelous
wines, and are underrated in my view.
Since Erbaluce's thick skin releases its
polyphenols with diffi culty, in order to aug-
ment the tactile sensation and the aromas and
fl avors of wines, many producers employ cold
temperature pre-fermentation soak techniques,
that also reduce total acidity by precipitating
tartrate salts. With the aim of reducing total
acidity levels, some producers also perform a
partial malolactic transformation, something I
am not too keen on, as I believe it lessens the
bright acidic impact of a good Erbaluce wine.
where it's found:
Campania, Puglia, Lazio.
national registry code number:
79 (with
unfortunately no distinction between bio-
types).
color:
white.
Along with Aglianico this is believed to be
Campania's oldest variety. Its name derives
from the Latin
falangae
(phalanx), from the
resemblance of the poles used to support the
vines in the vineyard to the typical military for-
mation of the Roman legions, made up of many
phalanxes of men (who were known to take
vine cuttings with them to plant on their long
journeys of military conquest). Considering
the meteoric rise to fame and success of the
Falanghina
grapes in the last thirty years, the
analogy with the conquering Roman armies is
more than apt.
Falanghina
is also suffi ciently
close enough to falernum, antiquity's greatest
and most sought-after wine, that local luminar-
ies such as Froio (1876) and Fiorito (1954)
hypothesized that this was the variety (tellingly
also called Uva Falerna) used to make faler-
num—but of course they
would
say that. In
reality, we have no hard proof that falernum
was made with Falanghina, and over the centu-
ries many other grapes have been suggested as
the key ingredient of that wine.
Thanks to the work of Costacurta, Calò,
Carraro, Giust, Aggio, Borsa, Di Stefano, De
Zan, Fabbro, and Crespan (2005), today we
know there are at least two genetically distinct
Falanghina
s, Falanghina Flegrea and Falan-
ghina Beneventana. According to these same
researchers, the former appears to be closely
related to Suppezza, while the latter is more
closely related to Biancolella. In fact, there are
probably more different
Falanghina
s out there
just awaiting discovery, but in the absence of
accurate ampelographic descriptions and
genetic profi ling, which grapevines are bio-
types of Flegrea and Beneventana and which
are altogether distinct
Falanghina
varieties is
anybody's guess. For instance, though the
Falanghina
grapevines from Naples, Vesuvius,
Campi Flegrei, and Caserta are believed to be
wines to try:
Cieck*** (Misobolo, Brut San
Giorgio sparkler, and Alladium Passito; the lat-
ter made from air-dried grapes but less sweet
than you might expect), Ferrando*** (espe-
cially the two sweet wines: Cariola, a lighter-
styled late harvest, and the Passito, thick and
rich, from air-dried grapes; their La Torrazza
sparkler is also good), Proprietà Sperino***,
Tenuta Roletto***, Favaro-Le Chiusure** (13
Mesi, a rare erbaluce aged in
barrique,
and Pas-
sito Sole d'Inverno), and Orsolani** (Erbaluce
di Caluso, Brut Tradizione). For Colline
Novaresi, try Rovellotti** (Bianco, Passito Val-
denrico). For Coste della Sesia, try Antoniolo**
(Erbaluce).
