2021 Petilia Falanghina Campania 750 ml

Every Italian-wine lover should get acquainted with Falanghina. It’s proudly Italian and stands head and shoulders above Italy’s THOUSANDS of other white grape cultivars. But for a long time, not many people knew about it.

In his thorough book Native Wine Grapes of Italy, Italian-wine expert Ian D’Agata writes, “Falanghina is one of the greatest success stories in Italian wine of the last 30 years.” From a small family farm in Irpinia, inland and uphill from Naples in Campania, Petilia is a great place to begin a love affair with this variety. 

We love Falanghina’s cheerfulness and complexity, its notes of apples, apricots, and white peaches. The 2021 wine from Petilia has aromas driven by lemon pith, white flowers and crushed stones. The mouthfeel is exhilarating, with plenty of spice, citrus and vibrant acidity that resolves in a long lasting finish.

Petilia Azienda Agricola is the story of the Bruno family: sister Teresa, brother Roberto, and their family farm. They currently grow Falanghina, Greco, Fiano, and Aglianico on a tiny patch of land that covers approximately 50 acres. Although they are not well-known, their wines are gaining a following for their superb value.

The Brunos describe their home turf of Irpinia in a poetic way. They call it “luxuriant and hostile to nobles…bastard like the people who trample it, a mixture of a thousand essences and a thousand races.” Their first vineyards were planted in 1986.