It was an amazing wine, elegant with a fresh acidity that was toned down somewhat with the age.
This was evident when we tried a Greco di Tufo from 2003 from the Pietracupa winery. There is no tradition of aging the Greco di Tufo wines, although according to me they have the potential for ageing, given the high acidity. You can feel it in the teeth after having tasted forty different Greco di Tufo during a morning. It is not unusual that the acidity is as high as 10 grams per litre. But if you succeed with the challenge to conquer all the difficulties then you get a complex and mineral wine with good structure and high acidity. Greco is a fairly neutral grape with few primary aromas. So the unreliable weather gods have many opportunities to put a spoke in the wheels of the producers. Nine times out of ten it is harvested in October. To make it even more difficult is greco is a grape that ripens late. The grapes are easily broken with all the misery that this can lead to.
#Villa matilde greco di tufo skin#
A big, compact grape bunch causes problems with mould because no wind in the world can dry out the moisture that sneaks in between the closely spaced grapes.Ī thin skin also gives problems. Not a happy grape like chardonnay or sauvignon blanc. “The greco grape tolerates few mistakes,” says Raffaele Troisi from the Traerte vineyards. The vaulted barrel cellar at Feudi di San Gregorio, copyright BKWine Photography The greco grape tolerates few mistakes But the climate does not facilitate the wine makers’ challenges with the greco grape. This leads to a high and welcome acidity in the wines. The temperature differences between day and night during the summer is big. One of Italy’s most important sulphur mines could be found right here until it was discontinued in the early 90s. Minerals are plentiful, both in the soil and in the wines. The soil is volcanic with elements of clay and lime. It is a cool, rainy climate and it almost always snows in winter. Some of the vineyards, such Pietracupa, is even as high as 800 meters. Altitudes between 250-600 meters above sea level are commonplace. The vineyards are at high altitude thanks to the Apennines, Italy’s “spine”, that run through this part of the region.
Irpinia is located in the eastern part of Campania bordering Apulia and Basilicata. Landscape in Irpinia, Campania, copyright BKWine Photography Irpina in the east, high mountains In this article I will concentrate on Greco di Tufo. The light on the stage is occupied almost always by the more famous names from northern Italy, like for instance Prosecco and Soave. They are, in my opinion, some of Italy’s best but they still live a life in the shadows. Greco di Tufo, Falanghina and Fiano di Avellino are the three most famous. A huge, massive wine with plenty of tannins and high acidity that must be aged for quite a while so as not to cripple your mouth with tannins when you drink it.īut in Campania there are also surprisingly many good white wines. Most famous are the great red wines such as for example Aglianico di Taurasi. Wine has been grown in Campania since time immemorial. With the exception of religious groups who make pilgrimage to the sacred mountain Montevergine and inveterate wine geeks who appreciate Irpinia’s quite unknown, but oh so interesting, wines. Hordes of tourists flock to the Amalfi Coast every year, to visit Pompeii and drink Limoncello. After a forty minute drive that brings me to the hotel the rain pours down in big heavy drops.Ĭampania is the region south of Rome best known for the chaotic city of Naples, the pizza and the Mafia. But the closer we get Irpinia the denser the dark clouds become. Because when I get off the train at Naples Central Station unseasonably warm sun rays heat me up.
“The sun always shines in Campania except in Irpinia,” said my friend from Napoli.
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