This weekend we will be exploring Southern Italy for our weekend sips, sampling for our shoppers both a fresh and fruity white from Campania as well as a Sicilian red with notes of berries and herbs.

Wine #1: Danimi Falanghina - Campania

Campania, a region in southern Italy that can be easily found as the shin on the boot, has a history that dates back to the 12th Century BCE. Because of the region’s proximity to the Mediterranean coastline, it has long been a hub for whichever historical dynasty du jour were in a position of power. Be it Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, or Phonecians, there have been numerous empires who have shaped the history of Campania and the region’s relationship with all things vinnous. Its geographical location is perfect in terms of being in a reliable climate for grape growing with the maritime influences from the Mediterranean helping to moderate the temperatures, especially in the sweltering summers, while the sloped hillsides further inland are blessed with more rainfall.

Known for Aglianico, Fiano, Falanghina and the historically important Falernum (a wine, not an ingredient for a Tiki cocktail), the wines of Campania are known for existing on a wide spectrum from lively fruit forward wines to more robust and well structured. Today we will be focusing on Falanghina, a grape known to make wines with aromas of citrus, blossoms and sometimes a hint of piney rusticity. It is an ancient varietal, said to be Greek in origin and it is almost exclusively found in Campania though there are a few producers in Abruzzo and Puglia who are looking to be a part of the revival of this classic Italian variety.

Danimi, a family winery with holdings in Campania and Puglia, crafted and sold their first bottled vintage in 1996 after countless generations of owning and tending to chestnut groves in the foothills of Mount Faliesi some 27 km from the city of Salerno. These wines are intended to be demonstrative revivals of ancient varietals which are expressive of their terroir and of the new generation of the Urciuolo family as well as the up and coming generation of Italian artisans, craftsmen, and winemakers. While they do not work the vineyards themselves, they are dedicated to partnering with farmers and vineyards who are equally passionate about reviving indigenous varietals for the international palette.

Wine #2: Baglio di Pianetto Frappato

And now we venture further south to the island of Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean and one with an exceptionally wealthy history of viticulture. Wine has been present on Sicily since 1100 BC when Phonecian merchants brought vines over when they settled Western Sicily, though there are unverified claims that the viticultural history on Sicily could date back to 8000 BC.

In 800-700 BC it was the Greeks who upkept the vines on the island, bringing with them a (for the time) modern style of farming and vinification utilising clay amphora. In his epic, The Odyssey, the poet Homer laments on how easy it is to grow grapes and make wonderful wines on Sicily. All the way through to 241 BC and the fall of the Greek Empire, Sicily was known as a gastronomic haven, a place where wine, fish, and olive oil of high quality were sought and found. When the Romans took control of Sicily, they too knew the value of the crops there and continued to use the land and its peoples for their own gain.

Sicily continued to be used by coloniser after coloniser, each empire making sure to export Sicilian wines while their own cultures influenced Sicilian cuisine in their own way. The Arabic influence from the Ottomans is said to have been the inspiration for both the cannoli and cassata (a sponge cake topped with fruit and liqueur). While couscous, a dish not popularised on mainland Italy, was brought about from northern Africa.

In the late 1700s Marsala, a fortified wine made in Sicily, became immensely popular and its exportation sparked a worldwide interest in Sicily. Thomas Jefferson is reported to have purchased over one hundred gallons of Marsala for his personal cellar. By the 1800’s native Sicilians had begun to hone their craft as winemakers, finding their footing until Phylloxera hit and all but destroyed the European wine industry.

With mass emigration from Sicily and an influx of Sicilian immigrants to North America, the early 1900s were a tough time for Sicilian wine, with nearly all exports halting. Both world wars and the onslaught of troubles caused by Mussolini’s fascist regime meant that what should have been a flourishing viticulture scene was left gutted. In the mid to late twentieth century, grape growers sold their grapes in bulk to large off-island cooperatives which focused their efforts on the bulk production of less than stellar wines which were sold at super low prices across mainland Italy and the rest of Europe.

By the 80’s leading winemakers pushed for quality rather than bulk exports. This led to an increase in bottling wines in Sicily and a focus on lower yields, higher quality wines, and an increase in reputation for the island. Through the 90s and into the early aughts, international varietals were the rage and the demand for indigenous grapes began to fall to the wayside. This also meant that there was an influx in international dollars influencing the industry. Around the same time, wines from Mount Etna (one of the world’s most active volcanoes which was last erupting in December 2023) began to change the way Sicilian wines were thought about. Native grapes such as Nerrello Mascalese and Carricante began to garner international recognition.

In 2011 a DOC was formed for Sicilian wines, helping international Sicilian wine lovers discern quality. Today wineries in Sicily largely focus their efforts on indigenous varietals. Grapes like Nero D’Avola, Frappato, Grillo, Malvasia and more are being planted, vinified and enjoyed at a breakneck pace.

Frappato, indigenous to Sicily, is known for its ability to make lighter bodied red wines with rich berry notes, swirling with tobacco and cloves and it along with Nero D’Avola account for the blend in Sicily’s only DOCG wine– Cerasuolo. Global plantings of Nero D’Avola are recorded to be around 750 hectares, 85% of which are in Sicily.

Baglio di Pianetto was founded in 1997 by Count Paolo Marzotto in hopes to marry his love of Sicilian wine with a hope to be a major driving force in the economy on the island. With sustainability at the forefront of the operation, the winery strives to make unique wines that are unmistakably Sicilian.