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 known for its lovely surroundings, however it additionally has nice wines.
Costa d’Amalfi is the one wine manufacturing space inside 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 It focuses on outdated vines of uncommon autochtonous grape varieties.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 have to carried in baskets on slender trails with plenty of steps. Solely locals can work safely within the vineyards, as they’ve grown up right here and know learn how to 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There are some severely outdated vines right here. Within the picture are you able to see one which grows horizontally out of the rock wall. The vines are in skilled in pergolas. This usually permits the farmers to develop different crops beneath, however right here on the Costa d’Amalfi that isn’t all the time attainable, because the soil isn’t all the time 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 simply used to make the reds, the whites are produced at one other vineyard. Marisa Cuomo produces solely 100,000 bottles per yr, however has 11 totally different wines. They make wine from 46 hectares (130 acres), of which they personal 3.5 hectares, lease 20 hectares, they usually 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 totally different.
The pink wines, which we didn’t style, are made out of Aglianico and Piedirosso. The Costa d’Amalfi Furore Rosso is made out 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 made out of 70% Aglianico and 30% Piedirosso. It’s aged for 12 months in new French barriques. They destem the entire grapes for the pink, 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 stainless-steel): contemporary, salty, balanced.
- Fiorduva Costa d’Amalfi Furore Bianco 2017 (Fenile 30%, Ginestra 30%, Ripoli 40%, 95 yr outdated vines, aged 4 months in new French oak): fragrant, complicated, balanced. Ripoli gives magnificence, Ginestra gives 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 (massive male goat) that’s grown on the slopes of the Vesuvius volcano, the 2020 Pietrafumante Caprettone spumante metodo traditional millesimato brut by Casa Setaro.
We had lunch at Baccofurore simply beneath the vineyard, with a wonderful 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 (a neighborhood speciality, the liquid from ageing anchovies within the city of Cetara), anchovies, and olives, a secondo of sea bass with mashed potatoes combined with lemon zest, and at last an almond biscuit dipped in a discount of pink wine with sugar and spices.
The drive alongside the Amalfi coast after lunch on our method to the subsequent vineyard didn’t solely provide lovely views, but additionally some thrilling moments when our bus needed to cross a big public transport bus on the very slender 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 pals 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 develop into a household enterprise. We have been acquired by Giovanni, the son of one of many house owners, and his ardour for sharing the particular wines which are 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 are 400-500 years outdated. The bottle of wine additionally within the picture offers you some perspective.
The “pomice” volcanic rocks take 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 pink somewhat than clear. (The colour in pink wine often comes from the pores and skin, not from the juice itself. Some grape varieties have pink juice and are referred to as teinturier. The commonest instance is Alicante Bouschet.)
At San Francesco we tasted three wines, every of two totally different vintages:
- Per Eva (Falanghina, Ginestra, Pepella, aged 8-10 months in stainless-steel)
- 2022: full bodied, floral, peach, wants a while within the bottle as a result of the parts don’t appear utterly built-in but
- 2016: golden, full bodied, extra creamy texture, fragrant, honey
- Quattro Backbone (4 thorns, named after the 4 pals 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, contemporary, 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 massive oak barrels, labeled as IGT Rosso Campania as a result of the Costa d’Amalfi DOC solely permits blends)
- 2019: fruity, contemporary, elegant, tannins nonetheless want a while within the bottle
- 2016: tannins extra able to drink, contemporary, fruity, good
