That is the second a part of the tour that I organized as a member of the Dutch affiliation of Vinologists (Verenigde Vinologen Nederland). After a day of attending to know the wines of Sannio, we continued our exploration of Campanian wine on the Costa d’Amalfi. The Amalfi coast is legendary for its lovely surroundings, but it surely additionally has nice wines.
Costa d’Amalfi is the one wine manufacturing space throughout the province of Salerno that we visited throughout this tour. It focuses on outdated vines of uncommon autochtonous grape varieties. Costa d’Amalfi DOC was established in 1995.
The vines develop on terraces on the steep slopes that finish within the sea. That is clearly a case of ‘heroic viticulture’, because the slopes are very steep and the grapes must carried in baskets on slim trails with plenty of steps. Solely locals can work safely within the vineyards, as they’ve grown up right here and know how one can transfer round with out falling. The vines develop between 100 and 700 meters above sea stage. The grapes ripen first near the ocean, the place it’s the warmest.
There are some critically outdated vines right here. Within the photograph are you able to see one which grows horizontally out of the rock wall. The vines are in educated in pergolas. This typically permits the farmers to develop different crops beneath, however right here on the Costa d’Amalfi that isn’t at all times attainable, because the soil shouldn’t be at all times deep or fertile sufficient that.
Marisa Cuomo
The primary vineyard we visited was Marisa Cuomo, a household enterprise within the city of Furore. They’ve excavated a cave within the rock behind the vineyard to create a cellar. The vineyard that we visited is barely used to make the reds, the whites are produced at one other vineyard. Marisa Cuomo produces solely 100,000 bottles per 12 months, however has 11 completely different wines. They make wine from 46 hectares (130 acres), of which they personal 3.5 hectares, lease 20 hectares, and so they purchase the grapes from the 63 households that personal the remaining 22.5 hectares. The smallest solely has 20 sq. meters. Marisa Cuomo employes an agronomist that helps the entire growers. The soil is limestone in the entire vineyards, however the altitude and publicity is completely different.
The purple wines, which we didn’t style, are comprised of Aglianico and Piedirosso. The Costa d’Amalfi Furore Rosso is comprised of 50% Aglianico and 50% Piedirosso, and is aged for six months in French oak barriques which were used as soon as earlier than. The Costa d’Amalfi Ravello Rosso Riserva is comprised of 70% Aglianico and 30% Piedirosso. It’s aged for 12 months in new French barriques. They destem the entire grapes for the purple, because the Aglianico is already very excessive in tannins with out the stems.
We did style two of the white wines:
- Costa d’Amalfi Furore Bianco DOC 2022 (Falanghina 60%, Biancolella 40%, aged 4 months in chrome steel): recent, salty, balanced.
- Fiorduva Costa d’Amalfi Furore Bianco 2017 (Fenile 30%, Ginestra 30%, Ripoli 40%, 95 12 months outdated vines, aged 4 months in new French oak): fragrant, complicated, balanced. Ripoli supplies magnificence, Ginestra supplies acidity, and Fenile fruitiness.
As an aperitif earlier than lunch we additionally had a glowing wine of a uncommon autochtonous grape selection referred to as Caprettone (giant male goat) that’s grown on the slopes of the Vesuvius volcano, the 2020 Pietrafumante Caprettone spumante metodo basic millesimato brut by Casa Setaro.
We had lunch at Baccofurore simply under the vineyard, with a stupendous seaview.
We tasted the 2 white wines described above with lunch, that consisted of an appetizer of ricotta with anchovies, a primo piatto of linguine pasta with colatura di alici (an area speciality, the liquid from ageing anchovies within the city of Cetara), anchovies, and olives, a secondo of sea bass with mashed potatoes blended with lemon zest, and at last an almond biscuit dipped in a discount of purple wine with sugar and spices.
The drive alongside the Amalfi coast after lunch on our method to the following vineyard didn’t solely supply lovely views, but in addition some thrilling moments when our bus needed to move a big public transport bus on the very slim roads.
Tenuta San Francesco
For the second and remaining go to of the Amalfi Coast we went to Tenuta San Francesco within the Tramonti, positioned in a vally on the Sorrento peninsula. Tramonti means “between the mountains”. This vineyard was began by 4 buddies in 2004 to revive the viticultural custom of the realm, utilizing the amazingly outdated vines that may nonetheless be discovered right here. Though they don’t seem to be actually a single household, they’ve turn out to be a household enterprise. We had been obtained by Giovanni, the son of one of many house owners, and his ardour for sharing the particular wines which can be created right here with the world was very clear to us.
They’ve 20 hectares (50 acres) of vineyards, together with 12 amazingly massive and outdated vines which can be 400-500 years outdated. The bottle of wine additionally within the photograph offers you some perspective.
The “pomice” volcanic rocks soak up water within the winter and launch it in summer time, so no irrigation is required. San Francesco is the primary vineyard that produced a varietal wine of the autochtonous grape selection Tintore, a cross between Petite Bouschet and Grenache and a teinturier, which signifies that the juice is purple somewhat than clear. (The colour in purple wine normally comes from the pores and skin, not from the juice itself. Some grape varieties have purple juice and are referred to as teinturier. The commonest instance is Alicante Bouschet.)
At San Francesco we tasted three wines, every of two completely different vintages:
- Per Eva (Falanghina, Ginestra, Pepella, aged 8-10 months in chrome steel)
- 2022: full bodied, floral, peach, wants a while within the bottle as a result of the elements don’t appear utterly built-in but
- 2016: golden, full bodied, extra creamy texture, fragrant, honey
- Quattro Backbone (4 thorns, named after the 4 buddies that began the vineyard) (30% Tintore, 50% Aglianico, 20% Piedirosso, aged 18-24 months in metal and enormous oak barrel)
- 2019: excessive acidity, medium bodied, tannins want some extra time within the bottle
- 2016: black cherries, recent, tannins nonetheless a bit grainy, excessive acidity
- È Iss (means “That is it” in dialect, which the 4 brother exclaimed after tasting a number of experiments with making wine from Tintore in 2005) (100% Tintore pre-phylloxera, outdated vines of 150 years or greater than 300 years outdated, aged 18-24 months in giant oak barrels, labeled as IGT Rosso Campania as a result of the Costa d’Amalfi DOC solely permits blends)
- 2019: fruity, recent, elegant, tannins nonetheless want a while within the bottle
- 2016: tannins extra able to drink, recent, fruity, good
