My friends and I are getting to that age. You know, the one where the kids are out of the house, the retirement savings have started to accumulate, and the anniversary numbers are starting to click through to the significant double digits.
So what’s a couple to do? Well, some of our friends are definitely splashing out on some of the dream vacations that they’ve been waiting a long while to take.
Which is how I ended up getting an e-mail recently (as I occasionally do) from some old friends asking: “We’re going to spend our big wedding anniversary on a sailing boat off the coast of Naples for a couple of weeks, and the captain wants to know what wines he should stock. Help!”
They went on to say that this sailing outfit was the kind of place that would definitely source their favorite Napa Viognier and Cabernet if they wanted, but that would come at a premium. Instead, they were emailing me to say they’d enjoy learning about good local wines if there were any to be had.
This, dear reader, is one of the great parts of my “job.” Spending other people’s money is so much fun, especially if you can turn them on to some great wines in the process.
Here’s what I told them to ask for instead of paying too much money to drink what they already know and love.
Naples is in the heart of Campania, which has great wine, so finding something local won’t be hard at all. I’ll list a few of my favorites from the region, and describe them, and based on the descriptions you can decide which ones sound best to you.
Sparkling
Almost everywhere in Italy produces sparkling wine, but in my opinion, there isn’t much great sparkling wine in Campania. But it’s your big anniversary, so you ought to have some decent sparkling wine to toast with. Someone should be able to get ahold of either some Bellavista Franciacorta Millesimato (vintage-dated white or rosé) or some Ferrari “Perle” Trentino Spumante for you…. Both are comparable to Champagne, and excellent. They’re about $50-60 US per bottle, but should be cheaper over there.
White
The white wines of the Island of Capri, just off of Naples—I’d be surprised if you didn’t stop there for a little while on your jaunt—are gorgeous and perfect for drinking with the fresh seafood you’ll undoubtedly want to be consuming. The wines are lemony, herbal, slightly salty, crisp and bright. Most of the wines that are classified Capri Bianco DOP are excellent, but I especially enjoy the wines of Scala Fenicia.
The other island in the area (that you’ll most certainly stop at) that makes fantastic (crisp, bright, citrusy) white wines is Ischia. I’ve quite literally never had a wine from there I haven’t liked. You can look out for white wines by Cenatiempo and Casa d’Ambra.
Likewise, the white wines from the Costa d’Amalfi are really excellent with similar profiles: bright, crisp, citrusy, and often floral. Look for wines labeled as Costa d’Amalfi Ravello Bianco DOP, and Costa d’Amalfi Furore Bianco DOP. You can’t go wrong with the white wines of Marisa Cuomo or Sammarco Ettore with those two designations. Marisa Cuomo is one of my favorite winemakers in Italy.
Another wine to look for in the crisper, zippier, seafood-focused genre would be the Vesuvio Bianco DOP from Casa Setaro or the Paestun Fiano IGP from Tempa di Zoe’.
For richer whites (flavors of flowers, honey, stone fruit, etc.) that are a little closer to your favorite Viognier, look for Campi Flegrei (the region) Falanghina (the grape) from Cantine Astroni, especially their Vigna Astroni. If you can’t find that wine, consider a Falanghina called “DUBL” from Feudi di San Gregorio or the Falanghina “Libero” from Fontanavecchia.
One last more robust white would be the Ventiventi Beneventano Bianco IGP from Tenuta Sant’Agostino.
Also, pretty much any rosé from Capri or Ischia will be fantastic, and might just be the best wine to be sipping on a boat during the summer!
Red
The typical red wines from the Campania region tend to be pretty heavy and tannic, and not quite the summer sailing vibe, but there are a few secret red wines in the region that are truly fantastic and will go with a wide range of foods
The first one to look for is the red wine from Marisa Cuomo, which is excellent. She makes two, the Furore Rosso Riserva and the Ravello Rosso Riserva, I prefer the Fuore, but both are excellent. These taste of black cherry, blackberry, dried flowers, and citrus peel.
Next look for wines made from the Piedirosso grape from the Campi Flegrei region just outside of Naples. My favorite examples come from the producers Farro, Cantine Astroni, and Agnanum. These wines taste of brighter forest berries, boysenberries, raspberries, crushed stones, dried flowers, and herbs.
Finally, there are a few local Aglianicos (richer, more typical regional reds with dark cherry, blackberry, and floral tones) from the Campania that I like that will be on the darker end of the spectrum if you want a more robust red wine. Look for the Tempa di Zoe’ “ZERO” Aglianco, the Taurasi Aglianico from Donnachiara, as well as the Taurasi Aglianico from Feudi di San Gregorio.
Also, if you want to look a little farther abroad, you might also consider red wines from Sicily, specifically some Etna Rossos. Some current favorite producers there are Monteleone, Girolamo Russo, Pietradolce, and Passopisciaro. These wines will be slightly lighter in body, extremely food friendly, and will taste of crushed rocks, forest berries, fresh flowers, and citrus fruits.
Hopefully, I didn’t paralyze them with choice.
If you’re curious to try them, here are the specific wines I recommend:
2017 Bellavista Millesimato Rosé, Franciacorta $67
2017 Fratelli Lunelli Ferrari “Perle” Bianco Spumante Trentodoc, Trentino Alto-Adige $46
2017 Fratelli Lunelli Ferrari “Perle Riserva” Rosé Spumante Trentodoc, Trentino Alto-Adige $69
2020 Scala Fenicia Capri Bianco, Campania $25
2021 Cenatiempo “Lefkos” Bianco, Ischia, Campania $41
2023 Casa d’Ambra Bianco, Ischia, Campania $20
2020 Marisa Cuomo “Fiorduva” Costa d’Amalfi Furore Bianco, Campania $67
2022 Ettore Sammarco “Vigna Grotta Piana” Costa d’Amalfi Ravello Bianco, Campania $39
2019 Casa Setaro “Contrada” Vesuvio Bianco, Campania $??
2020 Tempa di Zoe’ “Asterìas” Paestun Fiano, Campania $19
2018 Cantine Astroni Falanghina Campi Flegrei, Campania $23
2021 Feudo di San Gregorio Falanghina del Sannio, Campania $22
2019 Fontanavecchia “Libero” Falanghina del Sannio Taburno, Campania $24
2019 Tenuta Sant’Agostino ‘Ventiventi’ Bianco, Beneventano IGT, Campania $16
2018 Marisa Cuomo Furore Rosso Riserva, Costa d’Amalfi, Campania $90
2018 Marisa Cuomo Ravello Rosso Riserva, Costa d’Amalfi, Campania $55
2021 Agnanum “Per’ e’ Palummo” Piedirosso, Campi Flegrei, Campania $35
2021 Cantine Astroni “Colle Rotondella” Piedirosso, Campi Flegrei, Campania $20
2020 Farro Piedirosso, Campi Flegrei, Campania $18
2019 Tempa di Zoe’ “Zero” Aglianico Paestum IGT, Campania $34
2020 Donnachiara Taurasi, Campania $29
2018 Feudi di San Gregorio “Riserva – Poliphemo” Taurasi, Campania $??
2020 Monteleone Qubba Etna Rosso, Etna, Sicily $69
2019 Girolamo Russo “San Lorenzo” Etna Rosso, Etna, Sicily $77
2019 Pietradolce “Contrada Rampante” Etna Rosso, Etna, Sicily $52
2021 Passopisciaro “Passorosso” Etna Rosso, Etna, Sicily $44
