The Benevento area is the province that produces the most wine in Campania, and travelling through its hills we saw it with our own eyes: vineyards everywhere, from the Valle Telesina to Taburno. The Sannio DOC is the appellation that takes in almost all of them. Let us help you find your way among its grapes, types and sub-zones.
The production area
The Sannio DOC covers the whole territory of the province of Benevento, with hillside vineyards at altitudes of 200 to 650 metres. It stretches from the Calore and Volturno valleys, around Benevento, to the heights of Taburno and the Matese. Among the towns most closely tied to the vine are Guardia Sanframondi, Castelvenere, Solopaca, Torrecuso and Sant'Agata de' Goti.
Grapes and types
It is a very broad appellation. Besides the white and the red, also frizzante, and the rosé, the production rules provide for wines named after their grape:
- among the whites, Coda di Volpe, Fiano, Greco and Moscato;
- among the reds, Aglianico, Barbera, Piedirosso and Sciascinoso.
Then there are passito, novello, quality sparkling wines, including traditional method, and reds with the superiore and riserva mentions. The presence of Barbera is curious: it has long been grown in Sannio and should not be confused with the Piedmontese one. Falanghina, on the other hand, has a DOC all of its own.
The sub-zones
The label may carry one of the sub-zones, heirs to the old provincial DOCs:
- Guardia Sanframondi (or Guardiolo), with San Lorenzo Maggiore, San Lupo and Castelvenere;
- Sant'Agata dei Goti, limited to the municipality of the same name;
- Solopaca and the narrower Solopaca Classico;
- Taburno, with municipalities such as Apollosa, Bonea, Montesarchio, Paupisi and Torrecuso.
History and recognition
The production rules recall the wine amphorae from the 2nd century BC found at Dugenta and the revival of winegrowing around the year 1000, thanks to religious institutions. The Sannio DOC was created by decree of 5 August 1997; with the 2011 reorganisation it absorbed the Guardiolo, Sant'Agata dei Goti, Solopaca and Taburno DOCs, which became sub-zones.
Food pairings
The variety of the DOC allows pairings for every course. We have enjoyed Coda di Volpe and Fiano with pasta and pulses and garden vegetables, Aglianico and the red riserva with lamb and mature cheeses, Piedirosso with cured meats. Moscato passito makes a fine finish with Benevento torrone.
The sector is overseen by the Consorzio di tutela dei vini Sannio, recognised by the Ministry, which works to promote the area's labels (source: the Campania Region's Guida Catalogo 2024).
Where to taste it and what is nearby
At the end of summer we recommend Solopaca and its Festa dell'uva, a festival linked to the grape harvest. Between one vineyard and the next, Sant'Agata de' Goti, Cerreto Sannita and its ceramics and The Taburno-Camposauro Park are all worth a stop.
The full picture of the appellations is in The wines of the Benevento area, with the profiles of Falanghina del Sannio DOC and Aglianico del Taburno DOCG. To plan your trip, start from The wines of Campania and Benevento and its surroundings.
Sources: Sannio 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 (Benevento): Dэя-Бøяg, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.