Take a look at the stylish label on a bottle of Feudi Di San Gregorio ‘Cutizzi’ Greco Di Tufo! Doesn’t it just shout SUNSHINE to you?

I think we all need a little more of that after our stormy UK December, don’t we? Failing a trip to Southern Italy, why not try some sunshine in a bottle, new to Campania Wines for 2014?

Produced on the Feudi di San Gregorio wine estate, the ‘Cutizzi’ Greco Di Tufo is made from Greco grapes, including some late-harvest fruit to enhance its complexity. The vines grow in tufa soil – a mixture of silica, calcium carbonate and volcanic ash – giving mineral notes to the wine.

The Greco vine is said to have historic links to ancient Greece, its ancestors imported to Southern Italy over 2500 years ago. Another school of thought, discussed in a paper from the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture*,suggests that Greco was an adjective used in the Middle Ages, applying to the style of the wine, rather than the grape itself.

Whatever the case, though Feudi di San Gregorio is one of the most dynamic, cutting-edge wine producers in Italy, it’s sited on the ancient wine-producing land of Irpinia, mentioned for its viticulture as early as 590 AD.

The estate champions ancient grape varieties, including Greco, which were in danger of extinction following the devastation of the land during the Second World War.

In the post-war period, viticulture in the region went into serious decline, with young people moving to the relative affluence of the cities, and vineyards being laid bare. Thankfully, producers like Feudi di San Gregorio have ensured that Greco grapes are thriving once more – and made into stunningly good wines.

The ‘Cutizzi’ Greco Di Tufo is matured in stainless steel tanks, not wooden barrels, which allows the fruity aromatic profiles to stand out.

The wine is left in contact with its lees before racking, and stirred periodically so that the dead yeast and grape skins can provide additional flavours, giving the finished wine extra body and mouth-feel.

So…

Feudi Di San Gregorio “Cutizzi” Greco Di Tufo DOCG 2012

A glass of pale yellow sunshine for you – peach, pear and guava flavours bursting on to your palate, combined with leaner mineral notes and a subtle aroma of almonds.

Perfect with seafood or mozzarella di bufala.

Perfect to remind you that summer will follow winter and spring.

* Muganu, M., Dangl, G., Aradhya, M., Frediani, M., Scossa, A., & Stover, E.  2009.  Ampelographic and DNA characterization of local grapevine accessions of the Tuscia area (Latium, Italy).  American Journal of Enology and Viticulture.  60(1): 110-115.