The International Volcanic Wine Conference was held at City Winery in NYC. There were masterclasses and workshops of wines which were made all over the world “Under the Volcano,” which was the title of the event. Most of the volcanoes are inactive today though the lava flows left behind very rich soil. I attended the Grand Tasting which took place in the afternoon. Many of my favorite wineries were represented. I stopped by a winery from Campania which I did not know and tasted the wines of Azienda Agricola San Teodoro.
The wines were being poured by Ida Savoie from the winery’s export sales office. Ida said that they were looking for an importer for the US. I was very impressed with the wines.
Azienda Agricola San Teodoro-Vino Biologico
The San Teodoro winery was founded in 2004 by Giuseppe Santoro who asked his brother Pietro to help him convert some family land to cultivate grapes. In 2007 the first bottles of Falanghina and Aglianico were produced. In 2011 they converted to organic wine production. In 2018 Giuseppe’s oldest son Giovanni, after his agronomic studies, joined the winery.
The Santoro family vineyards cover an area of 30 hectares. The vineyards are located on the northwest side of the volcanic massif of Roccamonfina, in the village of Galluccio, which is in the northwestern part of the province of Caserta near the border with Lazio. The soils of the Galluccio hills are directly affected by the lava flows and the volcano eruptions of Monte S. Croce which took place between between 630,000 and 50,000 years ago.
The wines
Galluccio Bianco DOP “Consiglio Di Volpe” made from 100% Falangina from the Coraggio vineyard. The vineyard is at 300 meters and the training system is guyot. There are 5,000 vines per hectare. Harvest takes place the second week of September. Grapes are selected and destemmed followed by a delicate crushing without the cryomaceration process. After a gentle pressing fermentation is in large diameter stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature. The wine remains in stainless steel for 6 months before it is bottled. The wine has hints of citrus fruit, orange blossom, and pineapple with mineral notes.
Roccamonfina IGP Falangina “Vantanara” made from 100% Falanghina from the Vantanara vineyard at 300 meters. The training system is guyot and there are 5,000 vines per hectare. Harvest is from the second week of September to the first week of October. Grapes are selected and destemmed followed by a delicate crushing without the cryomaceration process. After a gentle pressing fermentation is in large diameter stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature. The wine remains in stainless steel for 3 months and in the bottle for 3 months before release. The wine has hints of citrus fruit, lime, pear, apple and a touch of wild flowers.
Roccamonfina IGP Aglianico IGP “Vantanara” made from 100% Aglianico from the Vantanara vineyard. The vineyard is at 300 meters and the training system is guyot. There are 5,000 plants per hectare. Harvest takes place the second and third week of October. The bunches are carefully selected and de-stemmed, with subsequent delicate crushing. Maceration follows in large diameter stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 22-26ºC, with frequent pumping over, délestage and batonnage, in relation to the ripeness of the year and total acidity. The wine is aged for 6 months in steel and released 12 months after the harvest. This is an easy drinking wine with hints of red berries, black cherry, plum, blueberry and a note of smoke.
Galluccio Rosso DOP Campapietro made from 100% Agliancio from the San Teodoro Vineyard. The vineyard is at 300 meters and the training system is guyot. There are 5,000 vines per hectare. Harvest is the second and third week of October. The bunches are carefully selected and de-stemmed, with subsequent delicate crushing. Maceration follows in large diameter stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 22-26ºC, with frequent pumping over, délestage and batonnage, in relation to the ripeness of the year and total acidity. The wine is aged for 12 months in steel, six months in tonneaux and 6 months in bottle before release. This is a full bodied wine with hints of blueberry, blackberry, a touch of cedar and a note of leather.
Charles Scicolone on Wine 