Terre del Volturno

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The Volturno river runs through Campania for 175 km and is described as the most important watercourse in southern Italy, bringing fertility to the soils and serving as a productive resource for human settlements.
• The Volturno valley was formed in the Quaternary period when rivers carried down enormous quantities of debris, carving deep valleys through rocks composed predominantly of clays, marls, sandstones, and limestones, which are highly susceptible to erosion.
• The geological formation that characterises the area of Caiazzo is defined as a molassic facies, a complex of sandy, clayey, and calcareous soils arranged chaotically and without distinct stratification.
• In these soils the macroelements nitrogen, potassium, and calcium are almost always present, whereas phosphorus and magnesium are not always found in adequate quantities, and the microelements copper, cobalt, iron, and manganese show an uneven distribution from zone to zone.
• The broad alluvial plains of the Volturno valley feature fertile soils developed over pyroclastic deposits from Roccamonfina and the Campi Flegrei, with an abundant water supply and a landform naturally suited to easy communication routes.

• The Romans encountered two styles of viticulture: the Etruscan, which trained the vine onto partially defoliated living trees and produced a sharper, lower-alcohol wine, and the Greek, based on short pruning.
• Pallagrello, known as Piedimonte rosso by the Bourbons after the foothill zone of the Matese massif, was cultivated in the fan-shaped vineyard (vigna del ventaglio) commissioned by Ferdinand IV of Bourbon at the royal estate of San Leucio.

• The flat topography and the predominantly south-facing exposure of the vineyards, located in historically vine-growing areas, together create a well-ventilated and luminous environment that is favourable to the vegetative and productive functions of the vine.

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-A0264
• Official trade body site — VITICA - Consorzio Tutela Vini Caserta