Campania

Italy · IGT (PGI) · Campania · 550 commune(s)

Styles

Natural factors

The geomorphology of the Campanian territory is considerably varied, though predominantly volcanic in origin, encompassing mountains, hills, valleys, rivers, streams, and plains that meet the sea.
The territory hosts innumerable volcanic formations, of which Vesuvius is only the most striking example, and these contribute to the creation of distinctive environments.
The picturesque setting and renowned fertility of the Campanian lands gave rise to the myth of 'Campania Felix', a context in which vine cultivation has always played a role of primary importance.
The strongly volcanic soils are considered one of the fundamental factors in ensuring the complexity and persistence characteristic of high-quality wines in the wines produced here.
For the passito and liquoroso styles, interaction with the volcanic soils is particularly important: their high potassium content ensures grapes well suited to drying on the vine, a process further favoured by the good air circulation of the hillside terrain.

Human factors

The wines of antiquity such as Falerno, Greco, Faustiniano, and Caleno were produced in Campania, and Campanian grape varieties are considered descendants of ancient varieties such as Vitis Hellinica.
Campanian grape varieties were described by the earliest authorities on viticulture and winemaking, including Pliny, Columella, Virgil, and Cato, who wrote of them in vivid and admiring terms.
The frizzante style has its origins in the peasant tradition of leaving wines with a residual sugar that, with the first warmth of spring, underwent a renewed fermentation rendering the wines lightly sparkling — a tradition deeply rooted in the areas of Gragnano and Lettere as well as throughout the rest of the region.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

About this boundary · approximate area

Approximate area — the union of the administrative units named in the document (Eurostat GISCO or national cadastre boundaries).