Vitigni buoni cattivi e brutti

The good, the bad and the ugly of grapes.

The lively give-and-take of the past few days has stimulated me a great deal.  It's crystallized some things for me, some leanings and preferences that have actually shaped my activities over the past 8-12 months.

I wrote a long time ago on this blog that "salvezza viene dal Sud" ("Salvation is from the South.")  Based then on what I observed in New York regarding the new popularity of wines of the Mezzogiorno (especially Sicily and Campania), my growing personal experience of and exposure to the wines and winemakers of the South has only deepened this conviction.  Added to which, I've found that I have a profound attraction to the landscape, people, food and wines of the Mezzogiorno.  And I believe very strongly that the South, led by Campania and latterly Sicily, is about to enter a Golden Age of wine, and of wine-and-food.  Both are changing rapidly and improving greatly.  I've written extensively of these things (as here and here), and I am just one voice in this chorus (see here and here.)

Campania, to be sure, has its share of international varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon) planted and its own native grapes which aren't excessively compelling (Casavecchia), but it's got endlessly fascinating, protean grapes like Aglianico and Fiano, not to mention the wonderful Greco di Tufo.  These vitigni make wines of high quality from a variety of terroirs, ones as different as the cold-winter uplands of Avellino and the mild coastal zones of Salerno and the Cilento. In the right hands all are valid and all are highly pleasing.

Paradoxically, one of Campania's major advantages in terms of both food and wine is that it never suffered the extremes of industrialization of more progressive, richer regions like Veneto and Lombardy.  Its backwardness is now viewed as a blessing.  While producers usually

sold their grapes to a co-op or big commercial distributor of bulk wines, there wasn't the same emphasis on "modern" agronomic and vinification methods as in, for example, Valpolicella.  Result: Fewer chemicals, less machinery (anyway the rugged topography of the inland areas militates against it), less extirpation of local varieties.  And less abandonment of old practices and knowledge, both good and bad. 

I think you can taste this unusual adherence to tradition in the wines.  I know you can taste it in the food, which is the most startlingly flavorful and "natural" tasting in Italy.  (True of the South as a whole.  Pax Sicily and Puglia, your cuisines I love.)  The best of the wines -- which is not to say the most expensive, because the international wine press hasn't a clue about the real state of affairs down South -- possess the same "living colour" and are both unmistakably Italian and unmistakably meridionali.

I hasten to add that I mean this praise of Campania as no disparagement to my friends in other parts of Italy.  But as a region and a "brand," I do feel that it is Campania's time to enter the big leagues -- to be considered a worthy competitor -- of Piemonte and Tuscany.  The question is: Will the Wine Establishment be open to the surging reality of Italy's most creative, dynamic and maligned region?

Comments

[Anthony Nicalo]

Either Campania needs to start spending some of the money they get from the North on marketing or they need a champion...are you feeling up to the challenge/opportunity is a better question. We both know that the "establishment" doesn't usually think for itself.

[Strappo]

Well, they're still paying Gae Aulente for the Vinitaly pavilion, so they are a bit hampered in that respect.

But yes, I think I am if it's done in bite-sized, highly targeted chunks.

As to the establishment, sorry, no junkets to swanny castles in Tuscany on offer.

[gianpaolo]

You might be right about the potential of Southern Italy, after all everyone in this country has always believed that the Mezzogiorno is hugely unexploited in terms of tourism, industry, trade, and so on. Everything is less developed than it should be. There are many historical reasons, social issues, etc. It could takes months to discuss about that.
Having said so, why am I a little skeptical about your optimism on the raise and glory of wines from Southern Italy? It is because in order to be successful, a wine region not only has to be able to produce great wines, but also it must be able to market them properly, in Italy as well as in the rest of the world. This require a very strong organization, a very strong and motivated group of winemakers, an idea of the area.
Now, money is not an issue, God knows how much tax-payer money has been spent (mostly thrown away) in that part of the country without any result, other than getting local the mafia fatter (another big problem).
The main problem, which is not only typical of Southern Italy but there is where it gets even worse, is that in this country we have fantastic artisans, artists, and entrepreneurs that are singularly outstanding, but that are absolutely incapable of working together as a group. And that is exactly what you need to emerge as an important and leading wine area.
So, let's hope that is like you say Strappo, but it takes much more than a Gae Aulenti's installation at Vinitaly (and stop throwing tax-payer money on that, it will only get worse).

[Mike Tommasi]

Terry,

while I share your love for the southern way of life and food (hey, I lived 1 year in Catania, so this venetian has SOME "southernness" in him...), I think you are overly kind towards the wine scene and the environment.

Campania is extremely industrialized, that is where Europe's white goods are all made, as well as Europe's clothes, including designer clothes. It is pretty well an environmental disaster area, due to the many illegal activities for which certain powerful families in the area are responsible, mainly the illegal dumping of enormous amounts of garbage, including toxic waste, from the rest of Italy and Europe. It is truly the chemical dump dump of Europe.

I am not sure that the wine production in general is any less chemical-based than the northern producers. If anything, I would expect the South to be more lax about these things, due to the total inefficiency of any controlling body.

While I agree that Campania and the rest of the boot are less inclined to international varieties, Sicily is producing mainly international style wines, and COS, Benanti Gulfi and the people we like are an exception.

The Campania whites can be extremely pleasant when you are travelling in the area surrounded by giant lemons and bouganvillea, but IMHO in general they suffer from the same syndrome as Provence rosés, take them out of context and you wonder why you even bought them. Aromatically interesting, but often unbalanced and overly corrected with tartaric acid. I think these regions should give up on whites and concentrate on the reds, where there is lots of potential.

Give me Aglianico and Nero d'Avola please!

cheers

Mike

[Marco]

The San Marzano valley is one of the most heavily polluted areas in all of Europe. Maybe that's why the tomatoes taste so good.

[Strappo]

I haven't time to respond thoughtfully, but I tell you: Go to Irpinia -- to Santa Paolina, Castelfranci and other places in the Avellino hills. This is the Campania I had in mind and this is where the wines have the highest promise as well as the best overall actual performance.

[elena]

hi again!
in this case talking about centre-suoth of Italy.... what about Pecorino??? and in Campania Piedrosso???
they are almost unknown but great and, by me, they would deserve much more attention!!!
also my production zone in Lombardy, Oltrepo pavese, is rich in ancient but less knonw varieties... UVA RARA, MORADELLA, VESPOLINA...
in other cases, like for Malvasia, the winers produce it only in the sweet or passito way. it's reductive. it's a great vine with a lot of possibilities. I'm trying one in wood casks and long maceration on theskins....
elena

[Strappo]

Hi Elena & welcome. I too think that Pecorino and Piedirosso are excellent grapes...Vespolina etc. are very interesting as well. But as to becoming "the next big thing"? They have a long long way to go, in my opinion.

[Jeremy Parzen]

Casavecchia can be so fantastic. It's amazing to see how people who don't even generally drink Italian wine will immediately fall in love with it once it's in their mouths... also Gragnano...