I Cacciagalli

In a sleepy corner of northern Campania, secular chestnut trees and vines intersperse the flanks of the dormant volcano of Roccamonfina*. Cacciagalli’s essence is vines grown on these volcanic soils, and a cellar of think-lipped amphorae sweating the fragrance of Campania’s native grapes.

Since the 17th century, Diana Iannancone’s family have been the caretakers of this ancient masseria (farmstead). Today, they tend a total of 35 hectares, 10 of which are vineyards, and the rest a mix of agriculture, including heirloom chickpeas (Cece di Teano), and local hazelnut trees.

It’s a family estate and everyone pitches in. Diana takes the lead as the farm’s agronomist, with a strong belief and practice in biodynamic viticulture, while her husband Mario watches over the amphorae.

Mario says that Campania’s grapes are characterful, especially the reds, and take particularly well to amphora for his and Diana’s search for volcanic wines which are “eleganti e sinceri.” When fermentation and èlevage take place in wood, there’s often too much oxygen, and the fruit, while having great depth, becomes a bit too extroverted in character for what they’re trying to reflect from the terroir.  In the opposite direction, with stainless steel, the fruit can lack depth and be one-dimensional. Amphorae allow the fruit to be comes across as vigorous, but more in matte tones.

Putting the matte tones comment aside, Mario adds that their use of amphorae has “nothing to do with fashion / non ha nulla da fare con la moda.” He adds:

“The amphora is like a mother’s womb that embraces the wine and tell it the story of where it’s from: it’s not by accident that the ancient greeks used them to amplify the sound of the actor’s voice on stage.”

“L’anfora è come un ventre materno che accoglie il vino e racconta dove è nato; non a caso i greci le usavano come amplificatore del suono della voce degli attori che parlavano sul palcoscenico.”

Cacciagalli is leading the way in this ancient volcanic land, and making some fascinating wines. It is another example of how Southern Italy has so many more gems for us all to discover. If you’re near Naples, Diana and Mario have an agroturismo that makes for a great long weekend that includes hiking through the woods on the crater by day, and savoring the fruits of the estate for dinner – with a simple but well appointed guest room down the hall.

* Roccamonfina is also the name of the town that lies inside the volcano and the general surrounding municipality.