Irpinia & Campania

Fiano di Avellino: peach, hazelnut and a smoky edge - a white that ages.

Grown in the hills east of Avellino, Fiano gives white peach, pear and toasted hazelnut with fresh acidity and a waxy, honeyed turn as it ages. Lapio makes the richer wines, Summonte the racier ones. Give it two or three years in bottle and it gets better.

Grown in the hills east of Avellino, Fiano gives white peach, pear and toasted hazelnut with fresh acidity and a waxy, honeyed turn as it ages. Lapio makes the richer wines, Summonte the racier ones. Give it two or three years in bottle and it gets better.

Greco di Tufo: leaner, saline and zesty - a white with grip.

Greco is firmer and more austere than Fiano, with citrus, white peach, a bitter-almond edge and a salty, flinty finish. Some of the soils sit over old sulphur deposits. Young bottles are crisp; the best get salty and honeyed over time.

Greco is firmer and more austere than Fiano, with citrus, white peach, a bitter-almond edge and a salty, flinty finish. Some of the soils sit over old sulphur deposits. Young bottles are crisp; the best get salty and honeyed over time.

Fiano or Greco with seafood pasta and shellfish.

Their acidity and mineral edge are a natural fit for clams, mussels and lightly sauced seafood pasta. Fiano is rounder; Greco is saltier and sharper.

Their acidity and mineral edge are a natural fit for clams, mussels and lightly sauced seafood pasta. Fiano is rounder; Greco is saltier and sharper.

Taurasi: dark, tannic, smoky Aglianico - the 'Barolo of the south'.

Taurasi is Campania's great red: black cherry and plum with tar, spice and a savoury, salty freshness, plus firm tannin. It is closed when young and wants years in bottle or a decanter. Serve it with meat, not on its own.

Taurasi is Campania's great red: black cherry and plum with tar, spice and a savoury, salty freshness, plus firm tannin. It is closed when young and wants years in bottle or a decanter. Serve it with meat, not on its own.

Celebration: Taurasi Riserva from Mastroberardino or Quintodecimo.

The region's top red; cellar it for several years and decant before serving.

The region's top red; cellar it for several years and decant before serving.

Campi Flegrei: smoky Piedirosso and flinty Falanghina from volcanic land by Naples.

A volcanic field west of Naples, planted in tuff and pumice, often with old ungrafted vines. Falanghina is citrusy, flinty and saline; Piedirosso is light, peppery and savoury, with red berries. Both are fresh and made to drink young and local.

A volcanic field west of Naples, planted in tuff and pumice, often with old ungrafted vines. Falanghina is citrusy, flinty and saline; Piedirosso is light, peppery and savoury, with red berries. Both are fresh and made to drink young and local.

Off the beaten path: Campi Flegrei Piedirosso.

A light, peppery volcanic red few friends at home will have tried. Try Contrada Salandra or Astroni's Colle Rotondella.

A light, peppery volcanic red few friends at home will have tried. Try Contrada Salandra or Astroni's Colle Rotondella.

Irpinia Aglianico / Campi Taurasini: Taurasi's younger, cheaper sibling.

Same grape, same hills, released sooner and at a lower price. Campi Taurasini is the zone nearest Taurasi itself. Many top estates put their lighter Aglianico here, so it is the easiest way into a good house.

Same grape, same hills, released sooner and at a lower price. Campi Taurasini is the zone nearest Taurasi itself. Many top estates put their lighter Aglianico here, so it is the easiest way into a good house.

Colli di Lapio: Clelia Romano's family estate, a benchmark for Lapio Fiano.

The family stopped selling grapes to Mastroberardino and started bottling their own Fiano from thick-clay vineyards above 600 m. Full but crisp, and fairly priced for its quality.

The family stopped selling grapes to Mastroberardino and started bottling their own Fiano from thick-clay vineyards above 600 m. Full but crisp, and fairly priced for its quality.

Give Fiano and Greco time: they open up in the third year.

Irpinia's whites are built to age. Fiano turns toasted-hazelnut and honeyed after two or three years, and serious reserves go much longer; Greco gets saltier and softer.

Irpinia's whites are built to age. Fiano turns toasted-hazelnut and honeyed after two or three years, and serious reserves go much longer; Greco gets saltier and softer.

Taurasi Riserva: the same red held longer; made for the cellar.

Riserva is where producers put their best Aglianico. Expect firmer tannin, more oak and tar, and a wine that wants years and a decanter. A plain Taurasi is the friendlier first bottle.

Riserva is where producers put their best Aglianico. Expect firmer tannin, more oak and tar, and a wine that wants years and a decanter. A plain Taurasi is the friendlier first bottle.

Taurasi is aged in oak: new small barrels or big old casks.

Quintodecimo uses new small oak for its Taurasi riserve; Luigi Tecce ages in large casks. The first gives silkier, spicier wine; the second a leaner, more savoury one.

Quintodecimo uses new small oak for its Taurasi riserve; Luigi Tecce ages in large casks. The first gives silkier, spicier wine; the second a leaner, more savoury one.

Salvatore Molettieri: a traditional family Taurasi house; Cinque Querce is the cru.

A grower-estate name that appears on most Taurasi shortlists. Vigna Cinque Querce is the single-vineyard wine.

A grower-estate name that appears on most Taurasi shortlists. Vigna Cinque Querce is the single-vineyard wine.

Irpinia Aglianico: the younger, cheaper cousin of Taurasi.

Same grape, same hills, released sooner and priced lower. Campi Taurasini is the area nearest Taurasi itself. Several top estates put their lighter Aglianico here, so it is the easy way to taste a good house, and it is ready to drink earlier.

Same grape, same hills, released sooner and priced lower. Campi Taurasini is the area nearest Taurasi itself. Several top estates put their lighter Aglianico here, so it is the easy way to taste a good house, and it is ready to drink earlier.

Local whites also come as sparkling: check Metodo Classico.

Fiano, Greco and Falanghina all make sparkling wines. 'Metodo Classico' means bottle-fermented; plain 'Spumante' may be tank-made.

Fiano, Greco and Falanghina all make sparkling wines. 'Metodo Classico' means bottle-fermented; plain 'Spumante' may be tank-made.

Contrada Salandra: tiny Pozzuoli estate with ungrafted vines.

Founded in 2004 by Giuseppe Fortunato, with four hectares of ungrafted Falanghina and Piedirosso, all made in steel. Delicate, smoky, lean but harmonious.

Founded in 2004 by Giuseppe Fortunato, with four hectares of ungrafted Falanghina and Piedirosso, all made in steel. Delicate, smoky, lean but harmonious.

Fiano changes village by village: Lapio rich, Summonte racy.

Lapio's volcanic soils give richer, more structured Fiano; high Summonte gives racier, longer-lived wines. The producer's own notes tell you which you have.

Fiano's character changes from village to village. Lapio, the historic heart, has volcanic pumice and lapilli under clay and sand, and gives richer, more structured wines with wild fennel and hazelnut; the Arianiello site at about 630 m is tense and flinty. Montefredane wines are shy and austere when young and take on incense and gunpowder notes with age. Summonte, on the high north-west edge at 500 to 700 m, is picked two to three weeks after Lapio and gives deep, long-lived wines with high acidity. Candida's clays give structure and a toasted-hazelnut finish, while Parolise's sandy soils allow late picking and elegance. Producers do not always print the village on the front label, so ask for the winery's notes. When a tasting offers two Fianos from different communes, take it: it is the quickest way to see what altitude and soil do.

Greco is harder to grow than Fiano and rewards patience.

Greco is a demanding grape with firm acid and grip. Cooler, higher Montefusco and Santa Paolina give tense, saline wines; warmer southern sites give softer ones.

Greco is a harder grape than Fiano: thin skins that suffer from mildew, rot and sunburn, firm acidity, a pithy bitter-almond edge and real grip. Its zone is a handful of villages, and the sub-areas differ. The southern part is lower and warmer, with lighter clay and volcanic soils, giving fruitier, gentler wines. Around Tufo the slopes are steeper, on compact clay and volcanic soils, and the wines are grippy and high in acid. Montefusco and Santa Paolina in the north-east are the coolest and windiest, with clay and limestone and vineyards up to about 750 m. Sulphur deposits sit under many vineyards and are often credited for the flinty, saline edge. Greco rewards patience: Benito Ferrara's Vigna Cicogna turns salty and caramel-rich with bottle age, and Di Meo has released a Greco kept twelve years on its lees.

Contrada and Vigna names mark a producer's single-site wines.

Top estates now bottle named sites. A contrada or vigna on the label usually means a denser, more distinctive wine at a higher price.

Named sites are becoming the way Irpinia's producers show their best wines, though the names are the producers' own. Feudi di San Gregorio's Studi project bottles four single-contrada Fianos from steel (Sacconi, Morandi, Arianiello, Quercia Grossa), and its Greco includes Ariella from Montefusco and Nassano from Tufo. Quintodecimo splits its Aglianico into Vigna Quintodecimo and Vigna Grande Cerzito, two parcels with different soils and exposures. Benito Ferrara's Vigna Cicogna comes from a south-facing slope at Santa Paolina. In practice, a contrada or vigna name tells you the producer thinks that site is special; the wines are denser, more individual and cost more. Buy the estate's regular Fiano or Greco for dinner, and taste the site wine side by side with it if the winery will pour both.

Mastroberardino: Atripalda's historic house; Radici is the Taurasi benchmark.

The family that built its post-war revival around the old local grapes. Radici Taurasi Riserva is the flagship; its Fiano and Greco are just as characteristic.

Mastroberardino, in Atripalda, is the house that put Taurasi on the map. The family's winemaking goes back to the 18th century and the winery dates from 1878. After the war Antonio Mastroberardino rebuilt it around the old local grapes - Aglianico, Fiano, Greco, Falanghina - when many neighbours were replanting with international varieties, which earned him the nickname 'the grape archaeologist'. Walter Mastroberardino left in 1994 to found Terredora. The flagship is Radici Taurasi Riserva, first made in 1986 from the Montemarano vineyard; Naturalis Historia is a Taurasi Riserva from old vines at Mirabella Eclano. The whites matter as much: Radici Fiano di Avellino is concentrated and hazelnutty, and the Greco comes as Nova Serra and the Stilema Riserva. The house style is mineral and acid-driven rather than showy.

Quintodecimo: Luigi Moio's polished Taurasi and reference-quality whites.

Moio, a University of Naples oenology professor, founded it in 2001 at Mirabella Eclano. Silky, precise Aglianico and three whites: Exultet (Fiano), Giallo d'Arles (Greco), Via del Campo (Falanghina).

Quintodecimo is the project of Luigi Moio, a University of Naples professor of oenology, founded in 2001 near Mirabella Eclano at about 420 m, with white vineyards at Tufo at about 450 m. The vineyards are certified organic. The two reds come from separate Aglianico parcels with different soils and exposures: Vigna Quintodecimo, bottled as Taurasi Riserva, and Vigna Grande Cerzito, while Terra d'Eclano is the younger Irpinia Aglianico. The whites are Exultet (Fiano di Avellino), Giallo d'Arles (Greco di Tufo) and Via del Campo (Falanghina). Moio uses native yeasts and little sulphur, picks early for freshness and ages the Taurasi riserve in new small oak. The style is silky and precise rather than rustic. Yields are low and production modest, so buy it when you see it.

Di Meo: Fiano and Greco for long ageing; Greco held 12 years on lees.

A producer for patient drinkers. Its Fiano reserves are built to age for a decade or more, and its Greco Vittorio is released after years on the lees.

Di Meo is the address for people who want to see what Irpinia's whites do with real age. Its Fiano di Avellino reserves are described as maturing over nine to fifteen years, which is unusual in a country with little habit of ageing white wine, and Roberto Di Meo has tried wood as well as steel for the wine. The wine to track down is Vittorio, a Greco di Tufo from a north-facing vineyard at about 700 m, kept twelve years on its lees before release; the result is precise rather than heavy. If a shop or restaurant has an older Di Meo bottle, take it over the youngest vintage of almost anything else in the area. Start with the regular Fiano di Avellino to learn the house style, then trade up to a reserve.

Luigi Tecce: tiny grower near Paternopoli; late-picked, large-cask Aglianico.

About five hectares in the southern part of the Taurasi zone. Satyricon is the entry wine; Poliphemo is the Taurasi.

Luigi Tecce works around five hectares between Paternopoli and Castelfranci, in the southern part of the Taurasi zone at 500 to 700 m. The cool microclimate and long hang time mean he picks in November, late even for Aglianico, and he ages in large casks rather than small new barrels. Satyricon is the entry wine, an Irpinia Aglianico from younger vines near Castelfranci: spicy and tense, with supple tannins that have a slight edge and a mineral finish. It is ready sooner than the Taurasi, which is bottled as Poliphemo. Production is small, so ask a good enoteca or a specialist importer rather than expecting to see it on supermarket shelves. These are wines for people who like Aglianico lean, savoury and fresh rather than glossy.

Cantine degli Astroni: family-run Campi Flegrei reference for both grapes.

Gerardo Vernazzaro's family has farmed here for four generations. The organic Camaldoli vineyard gives the Piedirosso.

Cantine degli Astroni is a family estate on the Campi Flegrei, run by Gerardo Vernazzaro, whose family has farmed the area for four generations. Its Piedirosso comes from the organic Camaldoli vineyard, in two styles. Colle Rotondella is fermented with native yeasts in steel and shows peppery spice, raspberry and a smoky, refreshing finish. Tenuta Camaldoli is fermented in cherry wood and aged in chestnut, a local-wood approach that is rare elsewhere. The Falanghina Vigna Astroni is the white to know, with flint, herbal notes and a long, savoury palate. If you only taste two Campi Flegrei wines, take these two side by side: the Falanghina for the flint and sea-salt style, the Piedirosso for how light and peppery a volcanic red can be. Both are best drunk young and with food.

Altitude and cool nights keep Irpinia's wines fresh.

Vineyards climb from roughly 300 to 700 m in hills with big day-night swings. That slows ripening, keeps acidity high and is why the whites stay fresh and the reds taste firm rather than jammy.

Vineyards climb from roughly 300 to 700 m in hills with big day-night swings. That slows ripening, keeps acidity high and is why the whites stay fresh and the reds taste firm rather than jammy.

In the glass: High acidity, slow ripening, firm structure

Volcanic ash, clay and limestone - and sulphur under Greco.

Irpinia's soils mix clay and limestone with volcanic ash, pumice and lapilli in places. Under many Greco di Tufo vineyards lie old sulphur deposits, often credited for the stony, salty edge.

Irpinia's soils mix clay and limestone with volcanic ash, pumice and lapilli in places. Under many Greco di Tufo vineyards lie old sulphur deposits, often credited for the stony, salty edge.

In the glass: Mineral, flinty, saline whites; structured, tarry reds

Late-ripening Aglianico is picked in November.

Thick skins and high acidity mean Aglianico needs a long season; picking can run into November. That gives depth and keeps the wine fresh, but it also demands patience in the cellar.

Thick skins and high acidity mean Aglianico needs a long season; picking can run into November. That gives depth and keeps the wine fresh, but it also demands patience in the cellar.

In the glass: Dark, tannic, long-lived reds with fresh acidity

Fiano changes village by village: Lapio rich, Summonte racy.

Lapio's volcanic soils give richer, more structured Fiano; high Summonte gives racier, longer-lived wines. The producer's own notes tell you which you have.

Fiano's character changes from village to village. Lapio, the historic heart, has volcanic pumice and lapilli under clay and sand, and gives richer, more structured wines with wild fennel and hazelnut; the Arianiello site at about 630 m is tense and flinty. Montefredane wines are shy and austere when young and take on incense and gunpowder notes with age. Summonte, on the high north-west edge at 500 to 700 m, is picked two to three weeks after Lapio and gives deep, long-lived wines with high acidity. Candida's clays give structure and a toasted-hazelnut finish, while Parolise's sandy soils allow late picking and elegance. Producers do not always print the village on the front label, so ask for the winery's notes. When a tasting offers two Fianos from different communes, take it: it is the quickest way to see what altitude and soil do.

In the glass: Richness and fennel at Lapio; tension and acidity at Summonte; shyness and incense at Montefredane

Greco is harder to grow than Fiano and rewards patience.

Greco is a demanding grape with firm acid and grip. Cooler, higher Montefusco and Santa Paolina give tense, saline wines; warmer southern sites give softer ones.

Greco is a harder grape than Fiano: thin skins that suffer from mildew, rot and sunburn, firm acidity, a pithy bitter-almond edge and real grip. Its zone is a handful of villages, and the sub-areas differ. The southern part is lower and warmer, with lighter clay and volcanic soils, giving fruitier, gentler wines. Around Tufo the slopes are steeper, on compact clay and volcanic soils, and the wines are grippy and high in acid. Montefusco and Santa Paolina in the north-east are the coolest and windiest, with clay and limestone and vineyards up to about 750 m. Sulphur deposits sit under many vineyards and are often credited for the flinty, saline edge. Greco rewards patience: Benito Ferrara's Vigna Cicogna turns salty and caramel-rich with bottle age, and Di Meo has released a Greco kept twelve years on its lees.

In the glass: Grippy, salty, bitter-almond whites that soften and deepen with age

Campi Flegrei's old ungrafted vines grow in sandy volcanic soil.

West of Naples, vines grow on tuff, lapilli and pumice at around 150 to 200 m, many ungrafted and more than a century old. Pumice holds moisture below the surface, which helps vines through dry summers.

West of Naples, vines grow on tuff, lapilli and pumice at around 150 to 200 m, many ungrafted and more than a century old. Pumice holds moisture below the surface, which helps vines through dry summers.

In the glass: Flinty, smoky, salty Falanghina and peppery, savoury Piedirosso

Give Fiano and Greco time: they open up in the third year.

Irpinia's whites are built to age. Fiano turns toasted-hazelnut and honeyed after two or three years, and serious reserves go much longer; Greco gets saltier and softer.

Irpinia's whites are built to age. Fiano turns toasted-hazelnut and honeyed after two or three years, and serious reserves go much longer; Greco gets saltier and softer.

In the glass: Nuts, honey and smoke replace young citrus and peach

Greco is mostly steel-fermented, Fiano often too; oak is used sparingly.

Cool steel fermentation keeps the citrus, stone fruit and mineral edge. Some producers add lees contact for texture, and a few use oak for their reserves.

Cool steel fermentation keeps the citrus, stone fruit and mineral edge. Some producers add lees contact for texture, and a few use oak for their reserves.

In the glass: Fresh, mineral whites with some creamy texture

Taurasi is aged in oak: new small barrels or big old casks.

Quintodecimo uses new small oak for its Taurasi riserve; Luigi Tecce ages in large casks. The first gives silkier, spicier wine; the second a leaner, more savoury one.

Quintodecimo uses new small oak for its Taurasi riserve; Luigi Tecce ages in large casks. The first gives silkier, spicier wine; the second a leaner, more savoury one.

In the glass: Silky and spiced with small oak; lean and savoury with casks

Traditional-method sparkling from Fiano, Greco and Falanghina.

Ciro Picariello makes a Champagne-style Fiano with no added sugar, and Mario Portolano a Falanghina Metodo Classico in Campi Flegrei. Crisp, with nutty lees notes.

Ciro Picariello makes a Champagne-style Fiano with no added sugar, and Mario Portolano a Falanghina Metodo Classico in Campi Flegrei. Crisp, with nutty lees notes.

In the glass: Crisp, nutty fizz with the local acidity

Skin contact, oak and amphora are new experiments with Greco.

A few growers ferment Greco on skins, use malolactic fermentation, or age it in oak and amphora, as Feudi's Goletto does. Expect fuller, more textured wines.

A few growers ferment Greco on skins, use malolactic fermentation, or age it in oak and amphora, as Feudi's Goletto does. Expect fuller, more textured wines.

In the glass: Fuller, more textured and more tannic whites

Long lees ageing and late-harvest Fiano show the grape's range.

Producers such as Di Meo age Greco for years on its lees, and Colli di Lapio and Tenuta Scuotto make late-harvest Fiano.

Producers such as Di Meo age Greco for years on its lees, and Colli di Lapio and Tenuta Scuotto make late-harvest Fiano.

In the glass: Richer, honeyed, more complex whites