The best wines of Amalfi Coast

It is not easy to find an aspect of Amalfi Coast that is not astonishing. From the landscape to the coast, from the traditions to the products of the earth. Everything is spectacular, and so is  the cultivation of the grapevine, an ancient activity that requires a lot of knowledge. You can see Amalfi Coast’s vineyards on the terracing that embrace the mountains. During the centuries, these vineyards gave birth to some very fine wines that earned the prestigious guarantee of origin.

The vineyards’s harvest is the hidden and wild face of Amalfi Coast, because it is between the mountains, while the coast is the most known and visited side of it. That’s the reason why wine producers are not only wine producers, but also fishers and farmers, because in the past that was the only way to survive. Thanks to the family tradition of grapevine cultivation, a lot of ancient vineyards still exist today.

Join us in our trip to the discover of the most characteristic wines of Amalfi Coast.

Red Wines

Aglianico

Aglianico is one of the most common vineyards in southern Italy and it is one of the last European grapevine to be harvested, between the end of October and the beginning of November, due to the long maturation time. It is often harvested as long as the fruit reaches the correct alcohol content, to avoid eventual storms or hailstorms, considering the season. However, there’s one more risk: harvesting a grapevine not completely mature yet could generate an altered wine with high tannin index.

Aglianico is a grapevine mainly used for rose wines, even if it is famous mostly for the Taurasi wine. Besides, you can find it in the 30% of guaranteed origin red wines from Furore, Ravello and Tramonti.

Piedirosso

Piedirosso is one of the most common vineyards around Naples and along Amalfi Coast. It is an endemic species and it takes its name from the color of the stems: red like the pigeon’s paw (“piede rosso” in Italian). The Piedirosso grapevine is the base for a lot of guaranteed origin wines, like the Per’è Palummo, the Gragnano, the Lettere, the Sorrento and the Lacryma Christi.

Sciascinoso

The Sciascinoso grapevine is also called Strascinuso, Sanginosa and Olivella and it is cultivated on the entire Campania region, mostly in the area around Avellino. It used mostly in a complementary way, along with other grapevines, to produce guaranteed origin wines like the Campi Flegrei, the Rosso Frizzante Penisola Sorrentino and the Red wine Costa d’Amalfi.

Its most common role is to be the main part (80%) of the production of Lacryma Christi wine,

Tintore

The Tintore is the grapevine of Tramonti. Its hills represent the homeland of this secular grapevine. It is called Tintore due to the several coloring matter in its cells under the peel (Tintore means “dyer” in Italian). The vineyard are very small and usually 250 to 700 meters high, where temperature changes makes it strong (one of the most peculiar Tintore’s characteristics).

 

White Wines

Fenile

According to the tradition, the name of this grapevine comes from the color of the grapes, yellow like hay. As soon as the grapes are mature, the grapeyard has to be harvested, so it doesn’t rot (the peel is very thin).

Fenile grapevine is complementary and is part of the guaranteed origin “Costa d’Amalfi” (subzone “Furore”). It is cultivated also around Positano and Amalfi.

Ginestra

Even if the first references of this grapevine are 200 years old, it has been confused for a long time with the Bianca Zeta grapevine, very similar to it. It took more than 50 years to realize that this grapevine was exclusive, with a strong broom scent (Ginestra means broom in Italian).

The grapevine’s production is moderate and it is a complementary grapevine too, part of the guaranteed origin “Costa d’Amalfi White”. Once the grapes are mature, they are have low level of sugar and high acidity.

Pepella

Pepella grapes are very peculiar: near the biggest grapes you can find some very small ones, like pepper grains (that’s why the grapevine is called “Pepella”: pepe means pepper in Italian). This grapevine is endemic and mainly unknown also to the most passionate experts.

It is a complementary grapevine that is part of guaranteed origin “Costa D’Amalfi” (subzones Tramonti and Ravello) but the production’s level is very low because there are only a few available plants.