When we visit a Campanian winery, the first thing that strikes us is the names of the grapes: Piedirosso, Coda di Volpe, Pallagrello, Catalanesca. Campania has preserved a heritage of native grape varieties that has almost no equal in Italy, and many of them are grown only here. Here are the ones to know before a trip among the vineyards.
The great reds: Aglianico and Piedirosso
Aglianico
Aglianico is the king of southern reds. The origin of its name is uncertain, but the grape has been grown in Campania for a very long time. It ripens late, with substantial tannins and marked acidity: that is why it gives wines capable of long ageing. It is the basis of the two red DOCGs, Taurasi DOCG wine in Irpinia and Aglianico del Taburno DOCG in Sannio, but you will find it in almost every appellation in the region, from Falerno to the Cilento.
Piedirosso
Piedirosso owes its name to the red colour of its stalks, which recall the feet of doves: in Naples and on the islands it is in fact called Per' 'e palummo. It is the red of the volcanic lands, the star of the Campi Flegrei DOC, the Vesuvio DOC and Ischia. It gives softer, fruitier wines than Aglianico, enjoyable even slightly chilled.
The three most famous whites
Fiano
Fiano is linked above all to Irpinia, home of Fiano di Avellino DOCG, but it is also grown in the Cilento and in Sannio. Tradition links its name to the bees attracted by its sweet berries. It gives fragrant, long-lived whites.
Greco
Greco, which according to tradition arrived with the Greek colonists, has its homeland around Tufo and the neighbouring villages, where Greco di Tufo DOCG is made. It is a savoury, structured white, also suited to sparkling wine production.
Falanghina
Falanghina is the most widespread Campanian white. Its name is traced back to the falanga, the stake that supports the vine. Today two types are distinguished, Phlegraean Falanghina and Benevento Falanghina. You will find it above all in the Falanghina del Sannio DOC and in the Campi Flegrei.
The grapes of Vesuvius
Three whites worth knowing are grown on the slopes of the volcano. Coda di Volpe ("fox's tail") takes its name from the long, curved shape of its bunch; besides Vesuvius it is found in Irpinia and in Sannio. Caprettone, long confused with Coda di Volpe itself, has been recognised as a variety in its own right and is named in the Vesuvio DOC production rules, which also provide for a Vesuvio Caprettone type. Catalanesca, grown on Monte Somma, is said to have arrived from Spain in the Aragonese era; long used as a table grape, it is now made into wine as Catalanesca del Monte Somma IGT.
The islands: Biancolella and Forastera
On Ischia the stars are two whites. Biancolella gives fine, savoury wines and is also found on the Amalfi Coast and in the Campi Flegrei. Forastera, whose name recalls a "foreign" origin, is typical of the island. Both grow on steep terraces, often supported by dry-stone walls, and are at the heart of the Ischia DOC.
The Caserta area: Asprinio, Pallagrello and Casavecchia
Asprinio is the grape of the Aversa countryside, famous for the alberata: vines wedded to poplars and other trees, which reach remarkable heights and are harvested with long ladders. It gives a crisp, fresh white, also sparkling, protected by the Aversa DOC. We tell you about this tradition in Asprinio di Aversa and the married vines.
Pallagrello, in its bianco and nero versions, is tied to the Volturno hills around Caiazzo. It was prized at the court of the Bourbons, then came close to disappearing and was revived in the 1990s. Casavecchia is a deep red grown around Pontelatone: according to tradition the mother plant was found among the ruins of an old house (casa vecchia), hence the name. It has an appellation all its own, the Casavecchia di Pontelatone DOC.
The Sorrento peninsula and the Amalfi Coast
Sciascinoso, also called Olivella for the shape of its berries, is a red used together with Piedirosso and Aglianico in the sparkling wines of Gragnano and Lettere, protected by the Penisola Sorrentina DOC. On the coast, alongside Falanghina and Biancolella, rare varieties survive such as Fenile, Ginestra and Ripoli, and in Tramonti the red Tintore: all linked to the Costa d'Amalfi DOC.
How to get to know them in person
We recommend choosing one grape and going to look for it in its own territory: Fiano in Irpinia, Falanghina in Sannio, Piedirosso in the Campi Flegrei, Asprinio in the Aversa countryside. Always ask at the winery which grapes they use and from which vineyards: in Campania every hill has its own story. Book your visits and check opening times and availability before you set off.
Nearby
For the full map of the appellations, read our wine guide The wines of Campania. For the wine areas province by province, there are our articles on the wines of Avellino, the Benevento area, Caserta, Naples and Salerno. And to start from the city, the guide Naples and its surroundings.
Sources: Campania Region with AIS Campania, Guida Catalogo 2024 of the wine-growing and wine-making companies of Campania; MASAF, production rules for DOP and IGP wines; Vesuvio DOC production rules.
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