San Gregorio: Greco di Tufo, Falanghina, Fiano di Avellino

 

This past year and a half has been a very difficult one that has changed my life drastically. I have been to the very bottom of frailty and fought to pull myself back up, stronger than ever. This is why you haven't seen much of me, and I apologize.

I received these wines at a time where I just needed to have a good night with friends, and we all enjoyed all three of them. They're from Campania, Italy, which is where my grandmother was from. Avellino specifically, as you see mentioned in the Fiano. She was somebody who found nothing better than enjoying food and drinks with friends and family, so it was a night of toasting to her. The legendary Rose.

I have no notes other than great wine, smiles, laughter, and love. San Gregorio is one of my favorite wineries because of the regional connection to my grandmother. If you see San Gregorio in your local wine shop, please buy a bottle and pour a glass for Rose.

Thank you, Donna, for giving me a great night of hope and happiness. Looking forward to moving forward, and starting this journey back up.

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August Wine Pick: Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina 2017

Founded in 1986, Feudi di San Gregorio is located in the tiny village of Sorbo Serpico near Mount Vesuvius in Campania, Italy. I'm reviewing two of their wines. The first was their 2015 Aglianico. The second, which your reading right now, is their 2017 Falanghina and it's my Wine Pick for the month of August!

This is 100% Falanghina from the Sannio Falaghina DOC of Campania. The grapes were hand harvested and delivered to the winery in refrigerated trucks, then hand selected and soft-pressed. The juice sees a cold settling for twenty-four to forty-eight hours at 58°F, cold-fermented in stainless steel vats between 61°F to 64°F, and is denied malolactic fermentation. Then it spends five months in stainless steel on the lees, and one month resting in the bottle.

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Wine Review: Feudi di San Gregorio Rubrato Aglianico 2015

Founded in 1986, Feudi di San Gregorio is located in the tiny village of Sorbo Serpico near Mount  Vesuvius in Campania, Italy. I'm going to be reviewing two of their wines. The first is their 2015 Aglianico, which you're reading right now, and the second is their 2017 Falanghina, which will come out on Wednesday.

Aglianico was brought over from Turkey to Campania 2,500 years ago, so it's one of the most ancient grape varieties that we know of. After its arrival it would be an important part of southern Italy's wine and culture. Pliny the Elder even mentions it in his writings. If you'd like to learn more about Aglianico, and I suggest that you should, then check it out in probably my most classic blog post ever: The Adventures of Aglianico - A Complete History of an Ancient Wine.

Well this 100% Aglianico is from the Arpinia Aglianico DOC and grown between 1,000 to 1,600 feet above see level in soil that was originally ash and fallen pumice (Aglianico loooooves volcanic soil). The grapes were hand harvested, macerated and fermented in stainless steel vats for ten days at 79°F, aged in stainless steel for eight months, and then six months in the bottle. The final ABV is 13.5%.

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May Wine Pick: Cantina del Taburno 2011 Sannio Aglianico "Fidelis"

This WINE PICK of the month was written for the Luke's of Cape Cod website.
MAY IS WINES OF TURKEY MONTH THANKS TO VINKARA WINERY!

Aglianico is one of the oldest, ancient wine grapes that we know of. It was brought over to the Campania region of Italy from Turkey by the Phocaeans 2,500 years ago, and there in Campania it made its permanent home. Campania is high in altitude and covered with volcanic soil, Aglianico's most favorite things.

One of the DOC's for Aglianico in Campania is Sannio Aglianico. Sannio is about 30 miles or so northeast of Naples, on the borders of Benevento (which has the Aglianco del Taburno DOC) and Avellino (home of the grape's most famous DOC, Taurasi).

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Wine Review: Terredora di Paolo 2011 Campania Aglianico

Somehow I find myself writing about Aglianico for the second time in two months on this blog. If you've never heard of the Aglianico grape or would like to know more (much more) then please help yourself to my blog post on the subject: The Adventures of Aglianico - A Complete History of an Ancient Wine.

Towards the end of that post I bring up Terredora di Paolo Taurasi. The wine I'm reviewing is the lower tier of that wine. This is Aglianico that either doesn't qualify to carry the Taurasi DOCG or is from anywhere within Campania, Italy. Terredora di Paolo Aglianico is going to run you about $16 while the Taurasi will hit you with $34.

First of all the label is just balls. I don't know if those two Greeks are doing the Safety Dance or if they're fighters in an ancient Mortal Kombat but I'm all about classy throwback labels. The color of the actual wine is a beautiful dark cherry red... but still there's not much density. You can see right through it without much effort at all.

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The Adventures of Aglianico - A Complete History of an Ancient Wine

Last fall I was just starting an all-out-crazy-study-campaign to get my CSW. I knew my stuff but I didn't know my stuff if I did not sell it. During Thanksgiving dinner my dad asked if I knew of any wines from Avellino. His father's father came over from Sicily and his father's mother came over from Ireland, while his mother's side was from Avellino, Italy. I don't know where you live but here on Cape Cod Sicilian wine is readily available but Avellonian wine is not. So I started looking into the wines of Campania, the Italian region that includes Avellino. I found that most of what I could get from Campania was bulk and jug wine. Then I came across a wine called Taurasi. It turned out Taurasi is a town that makes wine from a grape called Aglianico, and it's the most famous fine wine of Campania. And guess where Taurasi is? It's in the province of Avellino. Well, eff me running. I ordered a bottle and gave it to him for Christmas. Myself, being both a wine geek and history geek, couldn't let it end there. I've got blood ties to this wine. I had to know more about Taurasi and Aglianico. PICTURED: My Nana and me.

Aglianico is an old-ass grape. It's been with us since the early days of civilization so it's seen some things. Moscato may be the oldest around (and some say it could be the origin of all vitis vinifera) but that doesn't interest me so screw that. This is the biography of Aglianico, one of the most ancient wine grapes we have the pleasure of knowing, people who cared for it and drank its wine, the places it's been, and the historical events it witnessed around its vineyards.

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