Roccamonfina

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The territory is centred on the volcanic massif of Roccamonfina, bounded by the Garigliano river to the N-NW, Monte Cesima to the north, and the Agro Caleno to the east.
• A pyroclastic material known as Ignimbrite Campana, referred to locally as autochthonous Tufo grigio campano, mantles many of the hills and mountains surrounding the production area.
• The now-extinct volcano of Roccamonfina covers 450 km² and ranks as the fourth-largest Italian volcano by area and the fifth-highest in elevation, after Etna, Vulture, Vesuvio, and Monte Amiata.
• On the south-western slopes, the autochthonous volcanic soils of the Roccamonfina heights are well suited to viticulture, even though the zone is subject to spring–summer drought.
• Mean annual rainfall slightly exceeds 1,200 mm, with an uneven distribution and the greatest concentration of precipitation in the autumn–winter period.
• The tramontana and maestrale winds, cold and intense, can sometimes cause problems for vine flowering at the end of winter and in spring.

• The Galluccio area possessed one of the most extensive vineyard surfaces in Italy at the turn of the twentieth century, and historical evidence attests to a landing point on the Garigliano near Roccadevandro used for shipping wine to vessels of the Roman Empire.
• Modern training systems favour low-trellised rows pruned to guyot or spur-trained cordon, with a planting spacing for new vineyards commonly set at 2.50 m × 1.00 m.
• The varieties cultivated are those authorised and recommended for the province of Caserta, including Aglianico, Coda di Volpe, Falanghina, Fiano, Greco, Piedirosso, Primitivo, and Sciascinoso.
• The PGI Roccamonfina was recognised by ministerial decree of 22 November 1995.

• The white wine displays a straw-yellow colour with floral aromatic notes typical of the area, while on the palate it is dry, fresh, and pleasant.
• The red wine generally shows a ruby-red colour with fresh, pleasant vinous aromas, while on the palate it is dry, savoury, appropriately tannic, and well balanced.

• The smoky ('fumé') aromatic notes perceived in wines produced around the slopes of the volcano are the characteristic olfactory signature of wines grown on soils rich in pyroclastic material.

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

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PGI-IT-A0263
• Official trade body site — VITICA - Consorzio Tutela Vini Caserta