As the #ItalianFWT writers explore the regions of Campania, Basilicata, and Molise, I went searching for a wine from these regions. These are not regions that are easy to find in the US, so allowing us to choose from all 3 was helpful.
The #ItalianFWT (Italian Food Wine and Travel) writers are climbing the boot in Italy this month, led by Jennifer of Vino Travels. You can read her invitation post here.
They will be doing a Twitter Chat on Saturday, March 4th, at 8 am Pacific Time that you can join if you do Twitter. You’ll find them by following #ItalianFWT.
You will find the articles by my colleagues at the end of this post!
Finding a wine, from my favorite James Beard Award Semifinalist!
I went searching at my favorite local wine spot GaragisteLV. I have been a huge fan since shortly after they opened and often source bottles from their everchanging, eclectic and well though out wine list. On that list, I found a De Conciliis “Donnaluna” Aglianico 2016. I walked in and was greeted by the owner Eric with a quick hello as he finished up with another client, his staff was busily setting up for the day. He grabbed the bottle he had set aside for me and had me on my way in half a heartbeat. I look forward to days when I can actually sit down and have a glass and chat with them about the wine, which seems to be all to rare for me.
Garagiste is a James Beard Awards Semifinalist for 2023! I get to say, “I knew them when!”
Okay, so region and wine, check. Now, what to pair with it?
Campania is the home to Pizza, so I wanted to riff on that idea. After looking briefly at Pizza Chiena, the amount of time it would take to make, and the number of calories and leftovers it would encompass, I opted to go with calzones. This is nostalgic for me, and we will get to that story soon enough. For the moment, let’s take a look at Campania.
Campania
Campania is best known for Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Located in Southwest Italy, this is also the land of Mount Vesuvius and the ancient city of Pompeii.
This is the region that gave birth to the famous Mediterranean diet. On the Amalfi Coast, you find lemons and the stunning city of Positano.
Campania translates to “happy land” or fertile land, so I’m joyfully looking forward to learning more about the region’s wines!
The Wines of Campania
I mentioned Mt. Vesuvius earlier, so you know this region has volcanic soils. Vineyards here sit between 300 & 800 meters in elevation, and the climate, near the sea, is Mediterranean.
You find the white grapes Fiano, Falanghina, and Greco within the region, but probably the best-known grape here is the red grape Aglianico (AH-lee-on-i-co).
Aglianico is often called the “Barolo of the South.” This wine has excellent acidity, high tannins, and notes of leather, dried cherries, tobacco, chocolate, tar, and black plum. Due to its tannins, Aglianico needs a bit of aging, and often producers will hold back release until it is closer to ready.
Cilento
Most of the wine regions in Campania are spread across the northern part of the region. Overall, Campania holds 10 IGTS, 15 DOCs, and 5 DOCGs.
In the south, there are just 2 regions and scattered producers.
The area seems a bit visually like Tuscany or Umbria, with rolling hills of olives and fields of other agriculture. Fields here are filled with scrub rich with wild fennel, thyme, and wildflowers. This area is part of the Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano, which is both a UNESCO World Heritage site and Italy’s 2nd largest park. Encompassing mountains, hills, rocky coast, forests, and olive groves, the Cilento National Park takes in 100 km of coast with long wide beaches, hiking, and the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Paestum.
Buffalo mozzarella is made in this region. When the Allies arrived in 1944, they landed on the beaches of Paestum to be greeted by buffaloes in the surrounding marshes.
Viticoltori de Conciliis
Our wine comes from the De Conciliis family. They have experimented with wines, and many of their wines are named in honor of Jazz musicians.
The De Conciliis vineyards sit on high cliffs that look out onto the Mediterranean sea between Paestum and the Cilento National Park. The winery began with respect for the land, the region, its culture, and the people.
In 1996 when Bruno took over the family vineyards, he decided they would make their own wine. They stopped the conventional agriculture methods that had been used and moved to organic and biodynamics.
I’ll be honest, when I searched for information on the winery, I found interviews and articles about Bruno de Conciliis. He seemed the driving force behind the winery and had a large personality. He owned the winery with his brother Luigi, his sister Paola and her husband, Cuni. But the last article I found with him was from 2019. Everything since then centers around Paola, who deals with the vineyard and is the force behind the use of biodynamics. I found information on a new project Bruno was working on, Tempa di Zoè, located in the same region. (If anyone, perhaps those of you in Italy, can help me fill in the gaps in this story, I would be most grateful!)
One of the interesting things I found in an interview with him was that the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius did not influence Cilento. At that point, this part of Campania was underwater, so the soils here are sandstone and limestone.
The winery is part of the Independent Vignerons Association.
De Conciliis Donnaluna Aglianico 2016 Paestum IGP
The name of this wine is based on “Donna Lee” by Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. (If you are like me, and now NEED to know what this song sounds like…https://youtu.be/02apSoxB7B4)
I could not find tech sheets for the 2016 vintage, but I did find that it is typically 100% Aglianico, but in some years, they add 10% Primitivo. According to one review from the Wine Advocate, the wine is from 15-20-year-old vines (well, add a few more now, this review was from 2018.) 10% is fermented whole cluster with native yeast in Stainless steel then half of the wine is moved to large format oak to age for 18 months.
Dipping my nose into the glass, it is really easy to see why they call Aglianico “the Barolo of the South.” My nose is filled with dark fruit notes and tar. In the glass, this 2016 wine pours medium garnet with a thin rusty rim. In addition to the dark fruit and tar, I get notes of spice, dried herbs, underbrush, and smoke, like that from a grill with meats carmelizing. There are notes of brown butter, dried fig, and prune.
In my mouth, it is dry with tannins that feel like I licked a piece of suede, but then these tannins quickly slide off. The acidity is medium plus, and it is full of flavor. There are fruit notes of black cherry, cherry juice, black plum, and some cranberry astringency. Notes of smoke, spice, and dried berries also fill my mouth.
14% abv – $26 (at GaragisteLV)
Pairing Calzones
Okay, back to why calzones are so nostalgic for me. When I was in college in the small town of Salem, Virginia, there were few places to eat off campus. Our go-to spot was a terrific bar and grill opened by Mac & Bob in 1980, that is still around. They opened Mac & Bob’s as a pub for New York-style sandwiches and beer. Not long after that, Mac sold his part of the pub back to Bob Rotanz, who moved down the street a bit and pulled in fellow lacrosse teammates Keith Griswold and Joe Dishaw. That was in 1981. I headed to Roanoke College (the college of said lacrosse team) in 1983, and Mac & Bob’s became a go-to for getting away from campus when you had a little cash to spend. The draw was the Calzones, bigger than your head. To eat one in a sitting was an event, and I don’t think I ever accomplished that. Thinking of Mac & Bob’s, I remember the “Oh no, we’re all going to die” party we held there during the big flood, followed by the “Yay, we all survived” party when the waters receded. So many great moments during my 4 years there, occurred in that bar. All that to say, calzones make me nostalgic.
So when an opportunity to make calzones for a pairing arrived, you didn’t have to ask me twice.
I picked up some ready made pizza dough. Yep, I’m being a little lazy! It’s okay, I invite you to join me! 16 ounces of dough gets quartered and rolled into 1/4 inch thick circles. Some sauce, ricotta, sweet Italian sausage (that I took out of its casing and fried up), fresh mozzarella, shredded mozzarella (you can never have too much cheese!), are placed on one half of each round. Fold them over and crimp the edges shut. Place on an oiled pizza stone (or a pan), and brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of grated Parmigiano Reggiano. These bake for about 15 minutes at 475, until they are golden. Serve them with a bit more sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano on the side, and perhaps a salad for something fresh and healthy to balance out all that delicious cheese.
More from #ItalianFWT
The other writers with Italian Food Wine and Travel are diving into wines from around these three regions of Campania, Basilicata, and Molise. Read on for more great wines and perspectives!
- Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares, “Aglianico and Schwarma? Let’s give it a try….“
- Camilla of Culinary Cam features “From Campania: Pasta Named for a Patron Saint + Wine from an Ancient Tale.“
- Andrea of The Quirky Cork offers “Basilicata Meets Turkey Sucuk Paired Aglianico.“
- Martin from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog presents “A Taste of Three Feudi di San Gregorio Campania White Wines.“
- Susannah of Avvinare reveals “Tintilia, A gem grown in Molise.”
- Katarina of Grapevine Adventures discusses “Giovanni Piccirillo Brings a Fresh Approach to Winemaking in Alto Casertano.”
- Gwendolyn of Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley is “Introducing Campania’s Key Grapes: Aglianico and Falanghina.”
- And host Jen of Vino Travels gives “A Glimpse into Molise with the Tombacco Biferno Rosso Riserva.”
Sources & Resources
- https://lizthachmw.com/winetravelstories/the-campania-wine-region-climate-major-grapes-and-four-docgs/
- https://www.viticoltorideconciliis.it/
- https://www.macandbobs.com/
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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