Until the mid-1990s, Mastroberardino’s Vignadora selection offered virtually the only opportunity to taste Fiano di Avellino at its classic best, but there is now an ample selection of top-quality Fiano in circulation. Some producers also use oak, in a trade-off that works to the advantage of body, but at the expense of varietal aroma. Its thick skins also make it suitable for late-harvested or even passito wines. As Angelo Valentino, winemaker at Macchialupa, recounts: ‘It is a grape you can leave on the plant until it’s ripe, without worrying about the weather.’ Yields can be irregular, but producers love its resilience. Fiano shows its best on the high, volcanic slopes of Irpinia in the province of Avellino, where it originated and where it now enjoys DOCG status. It is native to Campania, where it appears as the principal grape in the reliable, if rarely exciting, DOC blends of Cilento and Sannio. The variety is planted widely across the southern peninsula, and is also present in places as far apart as the Marche and Sicily. ![]() It is fresh and immediate but, like all thoroughbred whites, it also develops with bottle age. It makes a typically steely, dry wine with a firm structure and delicate-but-complex aromas characterised by a distinctive note of toasted hazelnut. In neighbouring Basilicata, the finest vineyards are located on the steep eastern flanks of the ancient Mount Vulture, a volcano extinct since the Pleistocene era.įiano is southern Italy’s most interesting native white variety by some distance. Taurasi is influenced by its proximity to mount Vesuvius, with deep wind-blown ash from relatively recent eruptions having a marked impact on soils, in turn accentuating smoky, mineral characters. However, the type (and timing) of volcanic activity is markedly different across Campania and Basilicata. ![]() ![]() Volcanic influences can be seen in many, but not all, of the key Aglianico areas. Like Nebbiolo, wines made from Aglianico have inherent quality and a remarkable ability to age, with many examples showing alluring floral aromatics when young, and developing spice and herbal nuances with time in bottle.Īglianico can be found across southern Italy in Molise, Puglia, Calabria and Sicily, but it is within Campania and Basilicata that it reaches its finest expression. Aglianico is sometimes called the ‘Nebbiolo of the south’, but this really doesn’t do the grape justice.
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