A few years ago Federico Starnone (aka Fred Starring on FB) saw an article that I had written on the wines of Southern Italy.
He wrote to me and suggested that I visit the Sertura Vini d’Irpinia winery the next time I was in Campania. I was planning on visiting the region on a press trip sponsored by Campania Stories, but I had already selected the wineries I was going to visit. However, the day before one of my scheduled visits, there was a landslide on the Amalfi Coast and my visit had to be canceled. Suddenly, I had free time so I contacted Fred and he and Giancarlo Barbieri the owner/enologist came and took me to the winery for very enjoyable tour.
Recently, Fred saw on FB that I would be in Rome in March so he invited me to come to the winery once again. We arranged for Fred to meet Michele and I at the train station in Naples and from there it was a 45 minute drive to the winery in the small town of Montefalcione.
Charles, Michele, Umberto and Fred
We stopped at Hostaria Manfredi in the Hotel Civita in Atripalda (AV) for lunch and to taste the wines. Fred introduced me to Umberto Cieffo, the director of the hotel and the restaurant.
We tasted 6 wines from Sertura.
Our lunch began with some starters, including beef carpaccio with vegetables and local walnuts lightly dressed with olive oil.
We also had pinza, a flat bread topped with local cheese and mushrooms.
There was also a salad of baccala with pickled peppers and other vegetables.
We also enjoyed the potatoes pureed with local broccoli and olive oil, topped with cruschi, crunchy dried peppers.
Over lunch Fred said that the Sertura winery does not use any international grapes and only produces 6 wines. Their logo portrays a Clock Tower, the main symbol of Avellino, a city of which they are very proud.
Falanghina IGT made from 100% Falanghina, the Monte Miletto vineyard is at 500 meters and has a southeast exposure. The harvest takes place by hand the last week of September. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature. The wine has hints of yellow fruit, apple and pineapple, with good acidity.
Fiano di Avellino DOCG made from 100% Fiano di Avellino. The vineyards are in Montefalcione, a tiny village perched on a hill a short distance from Avellino. The vineyards are at 380 meters and the soil is clay. The training system is guyot and there are 4,000 plants per hectare. Harvest is by hand in early October. The grapes are soft pressed and fermented for 21 to 25 days at a controlled temperature. This is a complex full bodied wine with aromas and flavors of citrus fruit and hints of pear and green apple.
Pasta alla Nerano made with fried zucchini and the locally made provolone del Monaco.
Greco di Tufo DOCG made from 100% Greco from vineyards in Santa Paolina north of Avellino on the slopes of a hill at 400 meters. The soil is clay and rich in minerals, the training system is guyot and there are 4,000 plants per hectare. Harvest is usually the first week of October. The wine is balanced with nice fruit flavors hinting of yellow fruit, pear flowers, minerality and a delicate almond finish.
Rosato IGP made from 100% Aglianico. The soil is clayey-marly, clayey-silty. Harvest takes place at the end of October. The wine has hints of strawberries, pomegranate, and raspberries with a background of floral scents.
Steak alla Fiorentina grilled tender was delicious and went perfectly with the next wine.
Aglianico DOC IGT made from 100% Aglianico from vineyards of the small town of Torre Le Nocelle in Irpinia east of Avellino. The vineyards are at 500 meters and there is a range of temperature between night and day. This, along with the clay soil make it perfect for growing Aglianico. The training system is guyot and there are 4,000 plants per hectare. Fred said Aglianico ripens late and the harvest takes place the first ten days of November. Maceration and fermentation is at a controlled temperature for 21 to 25 days. It has hints of red fruit with notes of spice. It is a big wine for an Aglianico.
Taurasi DOCG made from 100% Aglianico The same as above only there is a selection of the best grapes. The wine is aged for 18 months in various size oak barrels. This is a robust wine that will age for a long time. It has hints red and black berries, with notes of leather and spice. I was very impressed with this wine.
After lunch I went to visit the winery but Giancarlo Barbieri was in Chicago promoting the wines. Fred took us on a tour of the winery and the vineyards before returning us to Naples. It was a perfect day for a visit to the countryside.
Castello di Fonterutoli, Castellina, made from 92% Sangiovese, and 8% Malvasia Nera and Colorino
Conti-Capponi-Villa Calcinaia, Montefioralle made from 100% Sangiovese
Ilaria Pettito with the DonnaChiara Greco di Tufo made from 100% Greco di Tufo (Campania) The wine has hints of citrus fruit, pear, apricot and pineapple. I have known Ilaria for some time and have visited the winery. I always enjoy her wines and I am a very big fan of the white wines of Campania.
Elise Rialland Forgione With “Anthem” Bianco Lazio IGT made from 100% Bellone Casale del Giglio (Lazio). The wine has hints of tropical fruit, like mango and papaya, a touch of flowers and a note of spice. Because of the good acidity this is a wine that will age.
Federico Lombardo di Monte Lato with the Etna DOC Bianco “Cavanera” made from Carricante and Catarratto,
Giulia Cecchi with the Maremma Toscana “Aurelio” Family Cecchi (Tuscany) made from 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. This is a full bodied balanced wine with hints of ripe red fruit, black pepper, spice and chocolate. I have been enjoying Cecchi wines for many years.
Tony Di Dio(Tony di Dio Selections) with the wines of Cusumano
Also with Tony Di Dio, Peter Zemmer Pinot Grigio Riserva “Giatl”(Veneto) made from 100% Pinot Grigio. This is a white wine that will age. It has more depth than most Pinot Grigios, with ripe fresh fruit, a touch of pear, a hint of spice, good mineral character and fresh acidity.
L’ Albereta Riserva Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2018 Il Colombaio di Santachiara 2018 made from 100% Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The wine has hints of ripe yellow stone fruit, apricot, citrus, white flowers, toasted almond and a note of vanilla. This is a white wine that will age.
Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2017 made from 100% Nebbiolo. The wine has hints of assorted berries, plum, blackberry, black cherry, rose petal, a note of tobacco and a touch of leather. I first visited the Vietti winery in 1982 and have been enjoying their wine ever since.
Livio Felluga Terre Alte 2018 (Friuli Venezia Giulia) made from Friulano, Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon Blanc. The wine has a touch of sage, hints of pear, apricot, peach and almonds. This is the Gambero Rosso’s White Wine of the year.
Elvio Cogno Barolo DOCG Ravera “Bricco Pernice” (Piedmont) made from 100% Lampia, a sub-variety of Nebbiolo. This is a complex
Michele Chiarlo (Piedmont) Nizza Cipressi 2019 made from 100% Barbera The wine has hints of red fruit mature cherries, raspberries and a note of sweet tobacco.
This version was a seated tasting and waiters brought the wines to taste four at a time. I was at table 4 seat C. The bottles were numbered according to the winery and the letter that followed indicated the type of wine. The D above was for the 2016 Brunello Riserva. 
Altesino
Banfi
Caparzo
Capinetto
Col’Orcia
Donatella Cinelli Colombini
Fattoria Dei Barbi
IL Poggione
La Fiorita
La Gerla
Ridolfi
Tenute Silvio Nardi
Uccelliera
This Z00M webinar included 5 white wines, four red wines and one dessert wine. Representatives
Zorutti (Friuli) Venezia Giulia DOP Collio 2020 made from 100% Pinot Grigio. The training system is traditional Friuli single inverted. There are 4,000 plants per hectare. Harvest is the first week of September when the grapes are perfectly ripe. Part of the destemmmed crushed grapes are gently pressed, the rest undergo cryomaceration at 4C for 36 hours. A fermentation started 3 to 4 days earlier from the best grapes of the same variety, is added. The must ferments slowly in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature (16C) for 30 to 40 days. Aging in stainless steel vats where a lengthy series of batonage is carried out, gradually reducing the intervals to produce a complex, structured wine with a delicate bouquet. The wine is bottled in February. The wine has hints of citrus fruit, green apple and good acidity.
The Red Wine and Dessert Wine
Bocale (Umbria) Montefalco Sagrantino 2016 made from 100% Sagrantino. The vineyard is treated with natural grass regeneration techniques (land planting), using only organic and mineral fertilizers without the use of chemical products or herbicides. Fermentation is with natural yeasts and the wine is produced without microfiltration and thermal stabilization. Manual harvest takes place the second half of October. Vinification: maceration for at least 40 days with natural enzymes. Stabilization and filtration do not take place. The wine is aged in 1,000 liter French oak barrels for 24 months and in bottle for 12 months before release. The wine has hints of blackberries and currants with a touch of spice. I was very impressed with this wine. This wine will age and Daniele said Sagrantino has the highest polyphenols and tannin of any grape. Above is a picture of the 2015 I have at home.
We started with Sguardi di Terra Spumante Brut Lugana Metedo Classico “Inlàri” DOC NV made from 100% Turbiana. Grapes are grown organically. Hand harvested. Traditional winemaking method 15 months in the bottle on the lees. Hand harvested. The wine has hints of citrus fruit, yellow fruit and brioche.
First Course
Citari Lugana Sorgente 2020 made from 100% Turbiana. The soil is moraine with calcareous clay combinations and rich in mineral salts. There are 5,800 wines per hectare. Harvest from young vines takes place the last week of September. The grapes are picked manually into boxes, two rounds. Vinification is in stainless steel. The wine ages for 7 months of which 6 is on the lees.
La Meridiana Lugana 2020 DOC (BIO) 100% Turbiana from a 4 hectare property located in Desenzano at 80 meters. The exposure is southeast, the training system is guyot and the soil is clay. Grapes are hand- picked then a soft pressing and fermentation starts with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks on the lees for 4 months. This is a well balanced wine with hints of white flower, citrus fruit, and a touch of almond with nice minerality.
Capù ripieni di Carne in salsa al pomodoro
Tenuta Roveglia “Limne” 2020 100% Turbiana grapes from vines 25/35 years old grown spots of Lake Garda at 100 meters. The land is flat and the soil is a mix of mainly clay with some limestone and rich in mineral salts. Harvest is at the end of September by hand in small crates. Vinification without the skins, a soft pressing of the grapes with extraction of a maximum of 60% free run juice. Maturation is in stainless steel tanks for 4 to 5 months. The wine is sold after 2 to 3 months in bottle.
Colli Vaibò Lugana DOC 2019 made from 100% Turbiana. The training system is single bow. The must is obtained with a slow grade pressing of the whole grapes fermented at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks with selected yeasts. The wine is kept on the lees for about 4 months until it is ready to be blended and put on the market after it has been in bottle for one month. The wine has pear, peach and a touch of spice and floral notes good acidity.
Zeni Lugana DOC Vigne Alte 2019 made from 100% Trebbiano from the southern shore of Lake Garda. Hand selection of grape bunches that have reached optimum ripeness at harvest. Maceration is on the skins followed by a gentle pressing and must fermentation at a controlled temperature. Aging is in stainless steel vats. The wine has hints of citrus fruit, peach and pear.
Trota del Garda in Carpione
Seiterre Lugana Superior 2018 Lugana Superiore DOC made from 100% Turbiana di Lugana. The soil is clay and limestone. Grapes are harvested by hand 10 to 15 days after the usual harvesting period. Gentle pressing follows and fermentation is in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature. The wine is then aged in barrel or barriques. It has hints of citrus fruit, ripe apple and a touch of spice and a note of minerality.
Zenato Riserva 2016 made from 100% Trebbiano di Lugana from the oldest vineyards, the 13 hectare Podere Masson vineyard at 165 ft with a southeastern/southern exposure. The soil is clay-loam, and the training system is guyot. There are 1,440 plants per hectare planted in 1994. Fermentation takes place in barrels for 21 days. Malolactic fermentation does take place. The wine is aged in 54 HL barrels of French oak one year old for 8 months. The wine is in bottle for 12 months before release. Residual sugar 6.4 g/l. The wine has floral notes, with hints of stone fruit, a touch of vanilla and a drop of honey.
Tenuta Roveglia Lugana late harvest
Cobue 31 October 2019 made from 100% Turbiana coming from vineyard Campo Lugana, the vines are 8 years old. The soil is calcareous and clayey and the training system is guyot. There are 4,500 grapes per hectare. Fermentation is in steel tanks. 70% of the wine is in steel for 12 months and 30% in barriques for 9 months and one year in bottle before release. This is a pure late harvest dessert wine, made from grapes picked when overripe on October 31st. It is produced only in years when it is possible. Residual sugar is 68 g/l.
La Torta del Paradiso