Study / Region guides
Campania
4 DOCGs and 15 DOCs. Examined in Unit 2: Central and Southern Italy.
- Borders
- Lazio, Molise, Puglia, Basilicata
- Wine provinces
- Avellino, Caserta, Naples, Benevento, Salerno
The land
Campania is shaped by volcanoes: Vesuvius, the Campi Flegrei and the extinct Roccamonfina. Volcanic ash and tuff are in most of the best soils.
Irpinia, the inland province of Avellino, is high and cool, with vineyards from 400 to 700 metres. Aglianico is picked there in late October and into November. The coast and islands are much warmer.
The grapes
Aglianico is the great red, late ripening, tannic and acidic. Piedirosso, also called Per'e Palummo, is softer.
The whites are among Italy's best: Fiano, Greco and Falanghina, with Coda di Volpe on Vesuvius and Biancolella on Ischia.
Which grape leads which appellation
- Aglianico 3
- Aglianico del Taburno, Taurasi, Galluccio
- Asprinio 1
- Aversa
- Casavecchia 1
- Casavecchia di Pontelatone
- Falanghina 1
- Falanghina del Sannio
- Fiano 1
- Fiano di Avellino
- Greco 1
- Greco di Tufo
Local names
- Per'e Palummo
- Piedirosso, in Campi Flegrei, Ischia
In the vineyard and cellar
Taurasi needs three years before release and keeps for decades. Fiano and Greco are made in steel and age better than their price suggests.
History and trade
The Greeks and Romans made their most prized wines here, Falernian above all. After the Second World War the Mastroberardino family kept the native grapes alive when others were replanting with easier ones.
The DOCGs
Oldest first. The year is when each one became a DOCG.
| Appellation | DOCG since | Grapes | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taurasi | 1993 | Aglianico (min 85%) | Avellino |
| Fiano di Avellino | 2003 | Fiano (min 85%) | Avellino |
| Greco di Tufo | 2003 | Greco (min 85%), Coda di Volpe | Avellino |
| Aglianico del Taburno | 2011 | Aglianico (min 85%) | Benevento |
The DOCs
| Appellation | DOC since | Grapes | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aversa | 1993 | Asprinio (min 85%) | Caserta, Naples |
| Campi Flegrei | 1994 | Falanghina, Piedirosso (Per'e Palummo), Biancolella, Coda di Volpe, Aglianico | Phlegraean Fields west of Naples (Pozzuoli, Bacoli, Quarto, Marano) plus the island of Procida |
| Capri | 1977 | Falanghina, Greco, Biancolella; Piedirosso | Naples |
| Casavecchia di Pontelatone | 2011 | Casavecchia (min 85%), Aglianico, Piedirosso, Pallagrello Nero | Caserta |
| Castel San Lorenzo | 1991 | Barbera, Sangiovese, Aglianicone; Trebbiano, Malvasia Bianca, Moscato | Salerno |
| Cilento | 1989 | Aglianico, Piedirosso, Barbera, Primitivo; Fiano, Trebbiano, Greco, Malvasia | Salerno |
| Costa d'Amalfi | 1995 | Falanghina, Biancolella, Fenile, Ginestra, Ripoli, Pepella; Piedirosso, Sciascinoso, Aglianico, Tintore | Salerno |
| Falanghina del Sannio | 2011 | Falanghina (min 85%) | Benevento |
| Falerno del Massico | 1989 | Aglianico, Piedirosso; Primitivo; Falanghina | Caserta |
| Galluccio | 1997 | Aglianico (min 70%); Falanghina (min 70%) | Caserta |
| Irpinia | 2005 | Aglianico, Fiano, Greco, Falanghina, Coda di Volpe, Piedirosso, Sciascinoso | Avellino |
| Ischia | 1966 | Biancolella, Forastera; Piedirosso (Per'e Palummo), Guarnaccia | Island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples |
| Penisola Sorrentina | 1994 | Falanghina, Biancolella, Greco; Piedirosso, Sciascinoso, Aglianico | Naples |
| Sannio | 1997 | Aglianico, Piedirosso, Sciascinoso, Barbera; Falanghina, Fiano, Greco, Coda di Volpe | Benevento |
| Vesuvio | 1983 | Caprettone (Coda di Volpe), Falanghina, Verdeca, Greco; Piedirosso, Sciascinoso, Aglianico | Naples |
Facts that get tested
The kind of thing an exam asks about Campania. Cover the answers and try them.
What is the minimum ageing for Taurasi?
3 years, at least 1 in wood. The Riserva needs 4 years with 18 months in wood.
Which was southern Italy's first DOCG, in 1993?
Taurasi. Taurasi, sometimes called the Barolo of the south, led the way. Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo followed in 2003.
Irpinia is the historic name for which province?
Avellino. Taurasi, Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo all come from its hills.
Which Campanian DOCG is not in the province of Avellino?
Aglianico del Taburno. Aglianico del Taburno is in Benevento, around Monte Taburno.
Falerno del Massico takes its name from which famous wine?
Falernian, the most prized wine of ancient Rome. The Romans grew Falernian on the slopes of Monte Massico, in what is now the province of Caserta.
Lacryma Christi comes from the slopes of
Vesuvius. It is a category of Vesuvio DOC, made as red, white and rosato.
How are Asprinio vines traditionally trained around Aversa?
Up tall poplar trees. The alberata aversana can reach 15 metres, and pickers work from long ladders.
Which of these is a subzone of Costa d'Amalfi?
Furore. The three subzones are Furore, Ravello and Tramonti.
Which two white grapes are the speciality of Ischia?
Biancolella and Forastera. Ischia was one of Italy's first DOCs, in 1966.
Coda di Volpe takes its name from
The shape of its bunches, like a fox's tail. Pliny described it. It is the main grape of white Lacryma Christi.
Think you've got it?
Twenty questions on Campania, with every wrong answer drawn from the region and its neighbours.
Quiz me on Campania