On the slopes of Europe's most famous volcano, vines grow just a few steps from the lava flows and the excavations of Pompeii. We have walked among these rows with the Gulf of Naples behind us, and we understood why wine here is an ancient story. Let us introduce the Vesuvio DOC, home of the famous Lacryma Christi.
The production area
The DOC covers the cone of Vesuvius in the province of Naples. It includes the whole of the municipalities of Boscotrecase, Trecase and San Sebastiano al Vesuvio, and part of Ottaviano, San Giuseppe Vesuviano, Terzigno, Boscoreale, Torre Annunziata, Torre del Greco, Ercolano, Portici, Cercola, Massa di Somma, Pollena Trocchia, Sant'Anastasia and Somma Vesuviana. The soils are sandy and volcanic, rich in minerals, and in some vineyards ungrafted vines still survive, because phylloxera has little liking for volcanic sand.
Grapes and types
The grapes are the traditional ones of the Vesuvius area. For the whites, Coda di Volpe and Caprettone, long considered a synonym of it and now listed in the production rules as a separate variety, with Falanghina and Greco; for the reds, Piedirosso, with Sciascinoso (known as Olivella) and Aglianico. With the amendment to the production rules published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale in December 2016, the range was broadened:
- Vesuvio white, red and rosé, also sparkling;
- Lacryma Christi white, red and rosé, with the superiore, red riserva, white passito, liquoroso and sparkling versions;
- the varietal wines: Caprettone, Falanghina, Piedirosso and Aglianico.
History and legend
Vines have been grown on Vesuvius since very ancient times: the frescoes and amphorae found at Pompeii and Herculaneum tell of an area already rich in vineyards in the Roman era. The name Lacryma Christi ("tear of Christ") comes from a legend: Christ, recognising in the Gulf of Naples a piece of paradise torn away by Lucifer, is said to have wept, and the vines sprang from his tears. The modern DOC was recognised in 1983 and today, as the Campania Region's Guida Catalogo 2024 points out, it is one of the most representative wines of the province of Naples.
Food pairings
The same guide suggests the white with impepata di cozze (peppered mussels) and the red with game, roasts and spicy cheeses. We would add a pairing from the same land: Lacryma Christi red with a sauce made from Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP tomatoes, which grow on the same soils.
The appellation is overseen by the Consorzio di tutela dei vini Vesuvio, recognised by the Ministry (source: the Campania Region's Guida Catalogo 2024).
Where to taste it and what is nearby
The vineyards of Vesuvius go well with a day of archaeology: start with Herculaneum and Pompeii: what to see and The Excavations of Oplontis, then climb to the crater after reading Mount Vesuvius: its history. Along the coast, The Golden Mile: the luxury and elegance of the eighteenth-century villas awaits you. On the Somma side there is also Catalanesca del Monte Somma IGT. The full overview of the Neapolitan appellations is in The wines of Naples, while for an itinerary across the whole region there is our guide The wines of Campania.
Sources: MASAF, production rules for DOP and IGP wines; eAmbrosia register (EU), single document for Vesuvio DOP; Campania Region with AIS Campania, Guida Catalogo 2024 of the wine-growing and wine-making companies of Campania.
Photo at the top (Boscotrecase): Carlo Mirante, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.