The Top Wines of the Campagnia Region
Campagnia is a region in the southwest of Italy. Like Molise, it is hilly and mountainous. Unlike Molise, it is heavily populated. Campagnia produces three DOCG wines, Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo, and Taurasi, the first wine in the south of Italy to be granted the DOCG classification.Fiano di Avellino bottle and friends
Fiano di Avellino bottle and friends
Fiano di Avellino
Fiano di Avellino is a straw yellow wine with golden accents and 11.5% to 12% alcohol. This wine comes from wooded hills in the Avellino province in the center of Campagnia where it originated thousands of years ago. Fiano di Avellino is made from the white Fiano grape, and may contain a maximum of 15% of three other local white grape varieties. Serve this wine at 45-49 degrees Fahrenheit (8-10 degrees Centigrade).
Greco di Tufo vineyards
Greco di Tufo is the oldest variety in the Avellino province of Campagnia. This straw yellow or golden yellow wine with 11.5% alcohol was mentioned in a fresco in Pompeii, dating from the First Century B.C. It is also the subject of a miracle in which San Guglielmo of Vercelli turned water into Greco di Tufo. It's usually made from at least 85% grapes of the same name, and up to 15% Coda di Volpe Bianca, a local white grape. Greco di Tufo may be still or sparkling, the sparkling version has been aged for at least 36 months. Don't cellar this wine as it tends to oxidize rapidly. Serve this wine at 45-49 degrees Fahrenheit (8-10 degrees Centigrade).
Taurasi wine vineyards
TaurasiTaurasi is an intense ruby red wine with orange overtones on aging also produced in the Avellino province of Campagnia. It is an ancient wine, made from the Aglianico grape at least 85%, with the rest coming from Sangiovese, Barbera, or Piedirosso (a light local red variety). In 1993 it became the first DOCG in the south of Italy. The Aglianico grape is harvested in late October or early November and may require blending to tame its tannins. This wine containing 12% alcohol is aged for a minimum of 36 months, of which 12 months must be in wood. The Riserva is aged for a minimum of 48 months, of which 18 months must be in wood. It may be cellared for 5 to 10 years. Serve this wine at 60-64 degrees Fahrenheit (16-18 degrees Centigrade).
See I Love Italian Wine and Food - The Campagna Region for a review of a white Fiano di Avellino wine from this region.