Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
letri, and passionate producers are studying
many other local varieties: Maturano Bianco,
Pampanaro, Capolongo, Uva Micella, Uva
Molle, Lecinaro, and Tendòla, but accurate
genetic characterization is a must, since these
may be varieties grown elsewhere with better-
known names. Then again, maybe not.
Falanghina, Forastera, Biancolella, and Coda di
Volpe Bianca are delicious and deserve to be
better known. The two main red grape varieties
are Piedirosso and Aglianico, the latter the
undisputed star red grape of southern Italy.
The two recently discovered
Pallagrello
grapes
(a white and a red) have become overnight suc-
cesses, and there are many more Campanian
natives to be discovered. Until recently, this
incredible wealth of native varieties had hardly
been studied at all: unbelievable as it may seem,
as recently as in 2000, only ten varieties from
Campania were listed in Italy's National Regis-
try. Another ten have since been classifi ed, but
Luigi Moio has told me that most researchers
estimate that there are over one hundred more
varieties waiting to be discovered in Campa-
nia's bucolic countryside. Blessed with volcanic
soils, the Vesuvio and Campi Flegrei areas
immediately next to Naples are probably the
richest in native biodiversity, if for no other rea-
son than that phylloxera could not wreak havoc
here. Olivella, Sciascinoso, Coda di Pecora,
Marsigliana Nera, Catalanesca, and Coglionara
are but a few of those being studied; 100 per-
cent pure bottlings of some of them can be
found. Bruno de Concillis, one of Campania's
best producers, has recently set up an experi-
mental vineyard in which he has planted a few
thousand vines of four completely “new” varie-
ties that were recently rediscovered. When I
asked him about them, he smiled and answered,
“We just planted them; let's talk about it ten
years from now.” On the island of Ischia,
Andrea d'Ambra of the famous d'Ambra winery
is working with Coglionara, Arilla, and San
Lunardo, but he also says monovarietal versions
of them are unlikely since they are especially
sensitive to oidium. Still, some smaller produc-
ers are giving these wines a shot.
Why has Campania maintained such a
wealth of native cultivars compared to other
regions? Clearly, the volcanic origin of several
soils averted the spread of phylloxera, thus pre-
venting the extinction of ancient vineyards and
the substitution of local cultivars by interna-
tional ones. Poverty also played a role, as poor
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is home to the famous Montepulciano
red grape and the Trebbiano Abruzzese white
variety, which together dominated the local
wine scene to such an extent that other varie-
ties were hardly looked at. That has changed
with the recent success of Pecorino from the
nearby Marche, leading producers in Abruzzo
to bottle it separately rather than using it in
blends, and Abruzzo has proven remarkably
successful with it, to the point that its versions
are outshining those of Marche. A few produc-
ers are also making wine from the little-known
Montonico Bianco variety. Other natives need
to be studied a great deal before we see any sig-
nifi cant amounts of wine made from them.
Molise
Molise is an extremely small region: so small
that its wine production is usually lumped
together with that of Abruzzo. In fact, there
weren't many Molise wine producers until
recently, and chances are you haven't heard of
the really good ones. The two main native
grapes are the red Tintilia and white Cococci-
ola. There are undoubtedly many others, given
Molise's once forbidding mountain landscape,
but people need to scour the old vineyards:
elbow grease and research are indispensable.
Campania
Campania is perhaps the Italian region that has
most resisted the temptation to plant foreign
grape varieties: you'll have a hard time fi nding
Sauvignon Blanc or Merlot here. Fiano and
Greco are the best-known white grapes, but
