Major Native and Traditional Grape Varieties - Native Wine Grapes of Italy - page 269

which is not far from Benevento. In the past,
Falanghina was thought identical to the Bian-
cazita variety of the Campanian coast; the fi rst
to suggest this identity was Goethe in 1887, an
observation later repeated by many other
experts such as Bordignon (1965). Today we
know that Biancazita (and its synonym Bian-
catenera) are instead identical to Ginestra,
another local native grape.
Prior to genetic analysis confi rming Falan-
ghina Beneventana as a distinct grapevine, all
descriptions of Falanghina and its wines were
included under the umbrella heading of Falan-
ghina or Falanghina Flegrea. The true Falan-
ghina Flegrea, now grown mainly around Naples
and Caserta (in fact, it is now the most abun-
dantly grown white variety in those two prov-
inces), can be grown anywhere in Campania,
and is also allowed in the region of Molise, Lazio,
and the northern Puglian province of Foggia.
Almost extinct due to phylloxera, it was brought
back to general attention by the Avallone family
of the Villa Matilde estate near Caserta, and by
the Martusciello family who propagated it in the
Campi Flegrei production zone.

last thirty years. People immediately recognize
the name and the wine's style (more or less). In
short, it's a wine that has brilliantly managed to
break through barriers in Italy, as experts and
beginners alike look for it in stores and on res-
taurant wine lists, generally quite liking it,
though some less-well-made bottles might
strain both goodwill and patience. Just consider
this: we know that in 2010 there were
4,800,000 bottles of falanghina bottled in the
province of Benevento alone, with another
400,000 from the other two DOCs. That's a lot
of bottles from a relatively small area, and they
are neither all of the same quality nor all remi-
niscent of the variety, in my opinion.
In general, wines made with Falanghina
Beneventana have more structure and alcohol
than those made with Falanghina Flegrea,
though such differences are not readily appar-
ent nowadays, with most producers planting
both varieties in new vineyards. In my view, the
best Falanghina wines are made from grapes
grown in packed soils rich in clay-tufa. I also
fi nd that Falanghina Beneventana wines tend
to be more fl oral, while Falanghina Flegrea
wines (especially those of the Sannio, where
Falanghina Flegrea will ripen up to three weeks
earlier), tend to be less complex but more fruity,
with f lavors and aromas of unripe peach,
Golden Delicious apple, apricot kernel, and
cherry pit. All Falanghina wines have a leafy,
chlorophyll note that is typical; those of the
Sant'Agata dei Goti area (and Mustilli's in par-
ticular) are notably mineral and aromatically
pungent.
Both Falanghina s have excellent naturally
high acidity and can be used to make decent
sparkling wines, but I don't fi nd them to be
complex enough to warrant much interest,
unless they are priced at the level of an easy-
going, inexpensive sparkler (and then why not
just stick to a delightful Prosecco?). Even
Falanghina sparkling wines made with second-
ary fermentation in the bottle don't hold much
appeal to me, but since producers have started
making these wines only recently, everyone's
learning curve is still growing, mine included.

Which Wines to Choose and Why
You can taste the Falanghina s in DOC wines
such as Falerno del Massico, Campi Flegrei
Bianco, Capri Bianco, Costa d'Amalfi Bianco,
Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Bianco, and
Penisola Sorrentina but it's almost always
blended. In theory, Falanghina Beneventana
should be used to make the DOC wines
Taburno Falanghina, Falanghina Sant'Agata
dei Goti, Falanghina Guardiolo (also called
Guardia Saframondi), and Falanghina Solo-
paca, all four of which are now subdenomina-
tions—thanks to legislative changes made in
October 2011—of the Benevento DOC, and
should also be used to make the wines labeled
Sannio Falanghina. There are about fi fty differ-
ent IGT wines that can also include the Falan-
ghina s in the blend, such as Beneventano
Falanghina.
Any way you slice it, falanghina is one of the
greatest success stories in Italian wine of the