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I Love Italian Wine and Food - The Campania Region
by: Levi Reiss
If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Campania region
of southern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on
this fact-filled wine education tour.
Campania is the shin of the Italian boot. It is located in the southwestern
Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its total population is about 5.8 million, making
it the second most heavily populated region of Italy.
Campania’s best-known city is its administrative center, Naples, once glorified
by the phrase “See Naples and Die,” which referred to its beauty and not its
high crime rate. Other well-known cities include Sorrento, a playground of the
jet set, and Pompeii, destroyed by Mount Vesuvius about two thousand years ago.
Campania devotes about 100,000 acres to grapevines; it ranks 9th among the 20
Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 52 million gallons,
also giving it a 9th place. About 64% of the wine production is red or rosé (a
bit of rosé), leaving 36% for white. The region produces 17 DOC wines and one
DOCG wine, Taurasi, one of the two DOCG wines produced in southern Italy. DOC
stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as
Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. The G in DOCG
stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are
truly superior. Only 2.8% of Campania wine carries the DOC designation. Campania
is home to almost three dozen major and secondary grape varieties, with a few
more white varieties than red ones.
Campania is not a major producer of international white grape varieties. Common
Italian white varieties include Falanghina, Fiano, Greco, and Coda di Volpe.
Campania is not a major producer of international red grape varieties.The best
known Italian red variety is Aglianico, best expressed in the DOCG wine, Taurasi,
and Piedirosso.
Before we reviewing the Campania wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to
purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few
suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful
region.
Start with Scialatielli alle Vongole, Herbed Pasta with Clams, Garlic, and
Cherry Tomatoes.
Then try Branzino all ‘Acqua Pazz’, Sea Bass in ‘Crazy Water’.
And for dessert, indulge yourself with Coviglie al Caffè, Coffeee Custard and
Ladyfingers.
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand
Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy
is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail
price.
Wine Reviewed
Mastoberardino Radici ‘Fiano di Avellino’ DOCG 12.0 % alcohol about $20
When you see a green band on an Italian white wine bottle, you have a DOCG wine,
Italy’s top of the line classification.
Mastoberardino is the largest and best known producer in southern Italy. Fiano
di Avellino is an indigenous white grape variety. They came together in an
excellent wine.
The wine had a beautiful straw color. I found it to be delicate yet complex and
elegant, not the least bit thin. At the first pairing it held up to spicy
barbequed chicken and barbequed eggplant slices. Among the many flavors, it was
spicy and smoky.
The next pairing was with whole wheat pasta and chicken meat balls in a peppery
tomato sauce. Here the wine took on a floral character.
I would have loved to taste this wine with the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana
(Water-Buffalo Mozzarella cheese) described in my article “I Love Italian Wine
and Cheese – The Latium Region” but it is not sold in my city. I had to settle
for Pecorino Sardo, a nutty cheese made in Sardinia, an island almost directly
west of Campagnia. In the presence of the cheese the wine became almost
unctuous.
I really feel that this wine deserved its top of the line designation. The best
white wines often come from cold climates such as Germany and northern France.
Who would have thought that such a fine white wine could come from sun-baked
southern Italy' The neighboring woods and eighteen hundred foot elevation of
Avellino are certainly an essential part of the final product, well worth the
$20, which is more than I usually spend on a wine bottle.
About The Author
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet,
but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine,
accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario
French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com.
You can reach him at ital@mail.theworldwidewine.com.
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