Among the lemon and olive groves of the Sorrento peninsula, and on the hills of the Lattari Mountains behind Castellammare, the vine has always held a place of honour. We have been there and discovered that this is also where the famous sparkling red comes from, the one Neapolitans love with pizza. Here is the story of the Penisola Sorrentina DOC.
The production area
The Penisola Sorrentina DOC covers thirteen municipalities in the province of Naples. Sorrento, Piano di Sorrento, Meta, Sant'Agnello, Massa Lubrense, Vico Equense, Gragnano, Pimonte, Lettere, Casola di Napoli and Agerola are included in full; Sant'Antonio Abate and Castellammare di Stabia in part. It is a land of terraced slopes, between the Gulf of Naples and the Lattari Mountains.
Grapes, types and sub-zones
The white is made from at least 60% Falanghina, Biancolella and Greco, with Falanghina always present at 40% or more. The red is made from at least 60% Piedirosso (Per' 'e Palummo), Sciascinoso (known here as Olivella) and Aglianico, with Piedirosso at 40% or more. The types are white, red and sparkling red (rosso frizzante).
There are three sub-zones:
- Sorrento, for white and red, with Sorrento, Piano di Sorrento, Meta, Sant'Agnello, Massa Lubrense and Vico Equense;
- Gragnano, for the sparkling red, with Gragnano, Pimonte and part of Castellammare;
- Lettere, also for the sparkling red, with Lettere, Casola and part of Sant'Antonio Abate.
History and recognition
The wines of this land have had illustrious admirers. The production rules recall that Sante Lancerio, cellarer to Pope Paul III, called the wine of Sorrento a wine for gentlemen, and that in the 19th century Gragnano was described as fragrant and clear. More recently Mario Soldati praised its ruby colour. The DOC was recognised by decree of 3 October 1994 and updated in 2011 and 2014.
Food pairings
Gragnano and Lettere, fragrant sparkling reds, are the traditional companions of pizza margherita and of sausages with friarielli; we have also found them excellent with the Sunday ragù. The white from the Sorrento sub-zone goes well with fish, mozzarella and provolone del Monaco, the typical cheese of the Lattari Mountains.
According to the Campania Region's Guida Catalogo 2024, a Consorzio della Penisola Sorrentina has also been set up, which at the time the guide was published was still awaiting ministerial recognition.
Where to taste it and what is nearby
In Gragnano it is also worth discovering the pasta-making tradition, described in Pasta di Gragnano PGI. On the peninsula we recommend Sorrento: what to see, The Ancient Walls of Sorrento and The Bay of Ieranto, in Massa Lubrense; in Castellammare there are the Terme di Stabia spas. For the flavours of the area, read about Provolone del Monaco DOP and Limone di Sorrento IGP.
The overview of the appellations is in The wines of Naples; for an itinerary through Campania's wineries, start from The wines of Campania and Naples and its surroundings.
Sources: Penisola Sorrentina DOC production rules; MASAF, lists and production rules for DOP and IGP wines; Campania Region with AIS Campania, Guida Catalogo 2024 of the wine-growing and wine-making companies of Campania.
Photo at the top (Sorrento): Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.