A Wine Tasting Gone Wild -Lunarossavini, Giffoni Valle Piana (Sa)

Chef Angelo Borghese and all of us!

My first baby steps into the blog world were those as a wine blogger.  I loved walking through vineyards, speaking with producers, tasting wines with professional journalists, and attending wine events such as Vinitaly.  In fact, it was that way back in 2012 in Verona I tried a wine from Lunarossavini.  Quartara 2008.  A fiano, that I learned was fermented in amphora.  Amphora? I asked myself.  For me it was the first time I tried a wine of that type.  I will never forget, however, the brilliant straw yellow color of that glass.  Nor the message from enologist Mario Mazzitelli a few days later who 1) apologized that he wasn't at the stand when I stopped by and 2) invited me to taste some wines in his winery Giffoni Valle Piana in the Salerno province.
Well, I time went by learned and appreciated a crucial and  important point, that wine was meant to be paired with food.  Over time, my visits to wineries, ahime', were few and far between in exchange for visits to some of Campania's top restaurants.  And on those restaurant's wine lists, I noticed over and over wines form Lunarossavini.
So I thought - wouldn't it be great to combine a visit to the winery with one of my best friends - who is also a chef?  A fusion of fun.  A wine tasting gone wild...so to speak.  Wine tasting as it should be. Unpretentious.  With friends - where you learn about the wines, the territory, food.  And, magari, have a good, no, great time!

When I arrived at Lunarossavini- that late Saturday morning, I was greeted by Mazzitelli.

Mario Mazzitelli 

 Mazzitelli, enologist and owner of the winery took me right into the cantina to show me around.  The winery has been around since 2006 - after years of Mazzitelli working for other wineries throughout Italy and Europe.  Here's a fun fact - Lunarossavini is the first winery in Campania to use amphoras.  To Mazzitelli it seemed natural.  The ancient Romans used them...why shouldn't he?  They have many benefits over  wood barrels - especially for a Fiano -porous, a longer life.  Mazzitelli gave me a quick run through of how his wines are produced,  His Quartara, for example.

A fiano grape grown in clay rich soil is harvested in rounds.  The first beginning in August.  A series of grapes that are macerated and fermented in amphora, then passed to barrels, then eventually bottles.  As he was explaining the similar vinification  process for his Borgomastro Aglianico wine,

that is when 'the chef' arrived - Angelo Borghese of the nearby Settanta Neo Bistrot. It was time to get wild.

Wines deserve a dish to go along with it. During a series of appetizers prepared by Borgheese which included algae chips with tuna, tasted bread with butter and anchovies, cheese and various deli meats, we had a chance to try a range of Lunarossa wines...
Costacielo 2018 - red, white and rose'.  The winery's  base wines, even if I hate that term.  Fiano and aglianico wines fermented in steel tanks and aged in amphora.

Rossoamarea 2012 - an aglianico with a small percentage of primitivo fermented in steel tanks, then long termed aged in barriques (reds need a bit of wood) and then bottled.

Borgomastro 2015.  Aglianico wine - fermented and macerated in wooden barrels for about 30 months, then aged in bottles for one year.

Then- it was time- to tatste Quartara with Mazzitelli nearby. And he did not disappoint- we had some time to make up!  I had the chance to try 3 vintages, 2017, 2014 (paired with Borghese's tortelli with genovese) and a 2013.

A wine tasting gone wild.  Wine tasting in the company of friends, where you feel free, have fun...and yes, learn something about a territory that maybe you did not know about. There was also a chance to try Lunarossa's Fuorilinea - a moscato orange wine, that was macerated and fermented in amphoras. One of the beautiful things about this wine, besides the taste and aromas, was that the 1,250 labels for the bottles are designed by children AND a portion of the profits go to children's charities.  Wild! 

Thanks, Mario and Angelo for the chance to be wild!
Note - the winery calls itself Lunarossa Vini e Passioni - Wine and Passion.  Coincidence??? I think not!