The Tasting | Natural Italian Wines | Aubrey Stout

La Sibilla Campi Flegrei Falanghina- On a tiny sandy outcropping of land on the Amalfi coast of Campania, just north of Naples, is the region of Campi Flegrei.

​It is a supervolcano, many of its gaseous craters submerged underwater.  The sandy soil is phylloxera resistant, which means the vines are planted on ungrafted rootstock, unlike the vast majority of Euorpean vines, which had to be replanted and grafted onto American rootstock in the late 1800s.  La Sibilla is run by Luigi di Meo and his family.  They are the fifth generation to tend ancient vines of Falanghina and Piedirosso, trellised gnarled tree trunks, some over 200 years old, twisting into an arbor overhead in a pergola vine formation.  The ungrafted old vines allow the grapes to ripen late with lower levels of alcohol.  Their flavors are fully developed while alcohol stays around 12 percent and acidity is fresh and bracing.  Vinification takes place in stainless steel.  The importer Oliver McCrum writes of this Falanghina: "Grown on its own roots and vinified and aged in stainless steel, this is a very distinctive example of how delicious Campanian white wines can be. It delivers a crisp minerally character while also showing appealing aromas and flavors of citrus, flowers, and tarragon. This is an excellent seafood wine. I also drink it as a dry aperitif, with olives and salami, while deciding what to make for dinner."

2. Gaia Barbelino Monferrato Rosso - A special project between the distributor 100% Italiano and this Piedmontese winery in Northern Italy.  This is a blend of the indigenous Piedmont grape Grignolino, blended with Barbera, another classic Piedmont grape.  Grignolino is known for making deep rosatos or light reds full of herbaceous wild berry notes, chewy tannins, and high acidity.  This wine is full of fresh red fruits, cherries and wild berries, with notes of herbs and a touch of earth, like forest floor and mushrooms.  This would be delicious with a mushroom dish, like roasted mushrooms served with herbs and warm mozzarella.  Or a mushroom pasta, with tender wild mushrooms, tarragon and thyme, and lemon zest.  This is the sort of honest table wine the people of Piedmont would drink while aging their Nebbiolo from Barolo and Barbaresco to drink at special occasions.  

​Aubrey Stout (Aubrey is a talented wine specialist at Imbibe Chattanooga).