Wine with Leslie Williams: The white grapes of Southern Italy

A few weeks ago I focused on the white grapes of Northern Italy so this week I’m looking to the South. I’ve written about Puglia, Sicily, and even Calabria frequently but much less about Basilicata and Campania, both small wine regions but not to be dismissed.

The best wine is from the volcanic soils in the region, Mount Vesuvius has its own Vesuvio DOC but the most interesting vineyards are a little further inland — fragrant Fiano and Falanghina, perfumed textured Greco di Tufo and densely flavoured Aglianico from Taurasi and Taburno. Across the region, many vines remain ungrafted, phylloxera being unable to survive in sandy volcanic soils.