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It is weird to accept that one of the wine areas with most rooted wine traditions in the world, not only in terms of production but even in terms of “business”, is nowadays to be defined. What I mean is that reading the classics and looking at some relevant frescos in the famous archeological area of Pompeii it is easy to get that Greeks brought in Campania the wine culture while the Romans built a business on it, right around Pompeii. Nevertheless, it is only thanks to the current Consorzio led by the dynamic Ciro Giordano, modest enough to carry a hard team job, that Vesuvio wine area is going to be re-launched starting from the definition of the Disciplinare (regulation to production) which used to classify the white variety ‘Coda di Volpe’ as the main white grape of the white wines of Vesuvio DOC (local top appellation), considering the white ‘Caprettone’ as just another name for it, while Caprettone is a completely diffrent variety and, actually, the most planted all around Vesuvio thus, the real key player of the white wines of the area.

ciro giordano

This new address deserved a relaunch, so, from the 14th to the 17th of Sept, the Consorzio has organized a very useful educational tour. A perfect occasion to clarify the main characters and discover the real soul of this super charming wine zone which benefits from having already a strong brand: “Vesuvio” is one of the most famous volcanos in the world and its wines are shrouded in the mystery of a legend (Lacryma Christi, see ahead) which seriously contribute in supporting the communication of the wine and its territory.

vesuvio crater

So, please find here the main features:

 

  • The territory

Vesuvio wine area is in the middle of the production area of Napoli in Campania region, Southern Italy, right between the volcanic area ‘Campi Flegrei’ (North) and the tourist area of Sorrento (South).

vesuvio soil

The numerous eruptions of Vesuvio have created a complex stratification which makes this area one of the richest ones in minerals and specifically rich in potassium which fosters the sugar concentration (and here is the sweet taste of the local cherry-tomatoes, “Pomodorini del Piennolo”, and the local apricots).

piennolo

The soils are mainly made of dark volcanic sand, pumice and lapillus. Such a composition allows to avoid the grafting: 90% of the local vines are ungrafted as the terrible insect phylloxera, which has attached most vine’s roots all over the world, cannot survive into sandy volcanic soils.

The vineyards develop all around the complex Somma-Vesuvio with different exposures and altitudes (from 50 up to 500 m a.s.l. and more), winds as well as a different level of maritime influence basing on their distance from the close Tyrrhenian sea. Moreover, even if it is common to only read about the mount “Vesuvio”, actually it is a complex called Somma-Vesuvio with 2 mountains and so 2 different characters: Somma area is humid with a lusher vegetation similar to the one available on the close Apennines’ chain which runs North to Southern Italy. Vesuvio area is more sunny with the typical vegetation of the Mediterranean areas.

somma-vesuvio

 

  • (New) Disciplinare and wine types

The legend: “a piece of Paradise fell down in the Gulf of Napoli when Lucifer got expelled. Crist cried for the loss of his best angel and his tears touched Vesuvio area where the vines grew up. This is wine is called Lacryma Christi”.

The new disciplinare, from 2017, have made clear the grape varieties as already mentioned; the wine types are now 25 and mainly based on blends of local varieties, included the so-called Lacryma Christi which can be white, red or rosé but also single varietals wines are now available.

 

  • The grapes

The main grapes of the area are:

Piedirosso: key player of red and rosè DOC wines, often blended with Aglianico thanks to its lighter and fruiter character (compared to the powerful Aglianico).

Caprettone: the key player of the most of DOC whites of Vesuvio, for a long time confused with Coda di Volpe, often blended with Falanghina and/or Coda di Volpe itself

Catalanesca: another white variety that, along with Caprettone, is now available almost exclusively here and which has its own appellation since 2011. In the past it was mainly exploited as table grape thanks to its bunches’ size and its thick skin (which allows for preservation to be consumed at winter time): crucial features in poor periods when the wine was a luxury product.

Stay tuned for my top list of red, rosè, white, sparkling and single-grapes wines.

 

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