Piedirosso

We're back in Italy today or more specifically in Campania. It's a scenic region known for the seashore of Naples, Mount Vesuvius, the ancient ruins, and the Amalfi Coast. It also produces some pretty good wine, most of it red.

While it is far and away the most famous, Vesuvius is not the only volcano in Campania. In fact, geologists have found 24 of them in the region although most remain bubbling underwater some in the many lakes of the region. What this does from a wine standpoint, of course, is to provide the local grape growers with a rich, quite minerally soil in which to grow those grapes. The natural acidity that the soil imparts to the grapes makes for wonderful pairings with the often tomato-based dishes that the Neapolitans are known for.

If there is one part of Campania that is more volcanic than any other, it is undoubtedly Campi Flegrei or the Phelgraean Fields. Slightly more than 10 miles nearly due west of Naples where Campania meets the Gulf of Napoli, the soil here that consists almost entirely of volcanic ash is perfect for today's wine. And, while many of the volcanoes have never surfaced, what they do is leave the soil with volcanic pools (I'm sure that there is a scientific name for these things, but I don't know what it is) where the mud bubbles continually. 

Today, we are drinking wine made from a grape known as Piedirosso or red feet. While that't the name the Italian regulators use, the locals often refer to it as Per’ e’ Palummo which translates as pigeon feet. The vines on which these grapes grow are mostly in the range of 200 years old. Observant readers might ask how these vines survived the phylloxera epidemic in the mid-19th century. But, that nasty little mite has never been able to survive in the eerie looking grounds of the area.

The wine that we are tasting today reminds us of blackberry brandy that has been exposed to a smoker. A bit spicy with soft tannins and striking acidity, the gravelly flintiness on the finish with notes of baking soda make this a great pairing with calzones.

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