Falanghina vineyards in the Sannio region of Campania, Italy, Courtesy of Consorzio Sannio

Tucked into the hills north of Naples, the Sannio Beneventano sub-zone of Campania shines bright with its distinctive indigenous grape varietals.  Here, the clay, limestone, and volcanic soils give birth to mouth-watering whites and deeply satisfying reds.  Imaginative wines by the names of Piedirosso, translating to “the red feet of a pigeon”, and Coda di Volpe, or “tail of the fox” allude to the grape bunch shapes.  But it is Falanghina and Aglianico that seize the spotlight, ancient grape varietals that are making a modern day comeback from their historical roots.  And Sannio is poised to make a splash with these beautiful wines, offering wine lovers something truly different.

Falanghina grapes, Courtesy of Consorzio Sannio

Falanghina is a zesty white wine that enchants with its citrus fruit character, layered with floral, herbal, and tropical fruit notes.  Not found outside of Italy, Sannio produces the lion’s share, 80% of all Falanghina, about 5 million bottles.   These luminous, yellow gold grapes give rise to aromatic wines, fruity by way of apple and tropical fruits, with an intense citrus character.  High acidity makes it a very good food pairing wine, excellent with pasta and risotto in white sauce, fish, vegetable soups and cheeses.  Falanghina has become famous for how well it accompanies pizza, notably the ones made by renowned pizza maker Gino Sorbillo.  Made in sparkling, still and passito (dessert wine), Falanghina is versatile, and maybe that’s why the ancient Romans drank Falernian, the ancestor of today’s wine.

Aglianico del Taburno grapes, Courtesy of Consorzio Sannio

Aglianico is an earthy red wine, savory in its black fruit, cured meat, white pepper, and leather notes.  Aglianico is considered “The Black King”, a nod to its importance among other icons of Italian wine, such as Sangiovese and Nebbiolo.  There are three different Aglianico biotypes, but Sannio's Aglianico del Taburno is anointed the highest ranking, a DOCG.  It has more balanced, fruity notes than Taurasi or Vulture.  This complex wine reveals blackberry, plum, violet, licorice, clove and black pepper notes, with structure, tannins and a long finish.  Made in red and rosé, Aglianico del Taburno was the first DOCG rosé wine made in Italy.  Red meat and cheeses compliment it best, but sipping it by the glass is delightful too.

Sannio vineyards, Courtesy of Consorzio Sannio

Sannio produces almost half of all the wine in Campania, of which 70% are white.  There are 7,900 vinegrowers, and 2,500 of them belong to three cooperatives.  All wine grapes are required to be grown on hillside vineyards, benefitting from the warmer, drier conditions.  Sixty different types of wine are produced, a reflection of the viticultural richness of the region.  The wine production zone overlays the historical grape growing region of the Samnites, a pre-Roman people, whose wines were described by philosophers as having a “slightly smoky aroma” and an “intense resinous scent”.  These were the favorite wines of ancient Rome.

Courtesy of Consorzio Sannio

The quality pyramid puts Aglianico Del Taburno DOCG at the top, followed by Falanghina Del Sannio DOC, Sannio DOC and Benevento O Beneventano IGP.  Wines include whites, reds and rosé, still and semi-sparkling, and sparkling wines and passito.  There is a tradition of using no oak for the white wines in the Sannio region, so those wines are pure in character without oak influence.

Laura Donadoni, "The Italian Wine Girl"

Laura Donadoni, known as “The Italian Wine Girl”, presented a sampling of these wines to the LA Wine Writers, encompassed by the Consorzio Sannio, over lunch at No. 10 Restaurant in Los Angeles.  Falanghina was poured in three different versions, and one Aglianico del Taburno.  Here are my impressions of the wines tasted:

Corte Normanna Falanghina del Sannio Spumante Brut 2020 is a rare and delightful sparkler made with 100% Falanghina.  Made in the Charmat method and rested on the lees for 11 months, small bubbles with citrus, apple, floral and crusty bread notes fill the glass.  A perfect partner with fish, pork and fresh cheeses, it’s also a good aperitif.

Terre Stregate “Svelato” Falanghina del Sannio 2020 definitely packs the wow factor!  This Tre Bicchieri winner has an amazing nose, apple, pineapple and floral notes with vivid citrus highlights.  Zesty yet with a balanced richness, there is a salinity to the wine, providing intriguing contrast to the ripe stone fruit, wild herbs, green apple and citrus peel flavors, with a long, satisfying, mineral-tinged finish.  Pasta with seafood and grilled fish and vegetables would pair very well with this wine.

La Guardiense “Janare Senete” Falanghina del Sannio 2020 is fresh and mineral, with citrus, ripe fruit, floral and herbal aromas.  This savory wine is produced from a single vineyard in Sannio, through one of the largest cooperatives in Italy, cold macerated and then fermented in stainless steel barrels for almost three weeks.  After bottling, it rests for five months.  Its richer palate accompanies seafood, salads, pork, risotto and pasta with white sauces, and fruit desserts.

Fattoria La Rivolta Aglianico del Taburno 2018 is an earthy red wine, dark plum, blackberry, orange peel, coffee, leather and herbal notes populate the glass.  Still a pretty young wine, fresh acidity intermingles with the smooth, slightly chewy tannins, and has a long, perfumed finish accented with dusty minerals.  Perfect with braised beef and pasta with red sauce.

Sannio vineyards, Courtesy of Consorzio Sannio

Falanghina grapes, Courtesy of Consorzio Sannio

Laura Donadoni explores the beauty of Falanghina for the LA Wine Writers

Sannio is a mighty powerhouse of wine for such a small area in the Campania region. Falanghina and Aglianico are their signature wine grapes, but they also produce many wines from varietals that you’ve never heard of, indigenous and so distinctive.  This area is steeped in history, predating modern times as an agricultural, grape producing area.  Today, producers are making wine with enthusiasm, using modern technology.  The Consorzio Sannio is getting the word out, there’s a lot of great wine waiting for a place at your table.