Join us Thursday, January 23rd, at 6:30pm, as we dive into one of Southern Italy's most well-known wine and culinary regions, Campania.
Home to Naples and the famous Pizza Napoletana, this region is known for the use of many of the simple and fresh ingredients that have come to put Italian cuisine on the map all over the world; namely fresh tomatoes, eggplant, and mozzarella based dishes.
In the midst of winter, we will focus on baked and slow-cooked dishes, as well as the marine influences on the seafood dishes of the coastal areas of the region. Join us for a curated dinner and to try some of the best Campanian wines, straight from our cellar!
Reserve your tickets now.
Campania Growing Region
Campania is also viewed as the "shin" of Italy's boot and is best known for its capital, Naples, or the idyllic Amalfi Coast. Its fertile coastal lowlands are home to the famous Taurasi and Aglianico wines, but host many other regional wines.
The region has a strong history related to wine and vines, dating back to the 12th Century BC, and is one of Italy's very oldest wine regions. Once very aristocratic, the wine scene of Campania has seen a total transformation in the last 30 years, and their wines have never been this good!
Campania counts some of the highest densities of DOCs and DOCGs (quality wine-areas) within Italy.
White wines from Campania are known to exude beautiful minerality, whether it's from the volcanic soils in the center of the region or the maritime climate along the Mediterranean Coast.
Many people have enjoyed the red grape varietal, Aglianico, and those that have had the pleasure of tasting the finer examples grown in the Province of Avellino, Taurasi, know that these wines can rival the best Nebbiolo and Sangiovese based wines of the North.
The Ancient Grape of Aglianico
Although it performs well on most types of soil, Aglianico does remarkably well in volcanic areas, of which there is no shortage in Campania. Nowadays, producers have better control over how to dial back Aglianico’s rugged meaty tannins, it traditionally takes about 10 years of aging to be drinkable! The wine tends to be higher in alcohol, a remnant of older wine technics when achieving super-ripe grapes and high alcohol was all that mattered.
Aglianico is a very high tannin and rustic red wine. The wine might not have a prestigious reputation like other more well-known grapes of Italy, but a well-aged bottle will immediately awaken the senses to the variety’s inherent greatness.
Tasting notes
Falanghina (white): A fuller-bodied white (similar to Chardonnay) with peach, lemon and pear flavors with subtle notes of honey and sweet-smelling flowers.
Piedirosso (red): A full-bodied red with soft tannins and deep ruby color. The wines show flavors of brambly wild berry fruit, cherry, and plum.
Aglianico (red): A full-bodied red wine with deep savory notes of white pepper, smoke and cured meats that give way to subtle notes of black cherry and spiced plum. The Aglianico reaches its apogee of expression in the famous Taurasi.
Discover (and taste!) some of these wines at our 'from the cellar' Campania wine dinner!
Enjoy a traditional multi-course dinner paired with Aglianico wines during a facilitated discussion around the growing area.
Get your tickets early, for January 23rd at 6:30pm
$125 all-inclusive (must be 21 to attend)
Thanks to winefolly.com for wine descriptions and other info