2022 Luciano Ercolino Le Grade Fiano di Avellino 750 ml

Combining the minerality and zest of a top Sancerre with the salt-spray refreshment of great Albariño and a hint of Savennières’ powerful texture, the Fiano grape is an absolute rock star from the mountains an hour east of Naples. 

Luciano Ercolino’s 2022 Le Grade is one of the best ones out there. In addition to an impressive 93-point score from James Suckling, it earned a coveted Tre Bicchieri award from Gambero Rosso—one of the highest honors in Italian wine. 

Luciano Ercolino is one of the most important figures in Southern Italian wine. His visionary approach helped him found Feudi di San Gregorio—the winery that put Campania on the modern wine map—with the express goal of modernizing the region’s viticulture and winemaking. He and his brother Marco made their reputation producing wines of exemplary texture, intensity, and elegance, harnessing the region’s abundant sunshine and applying contemporary techniques.

At the helm of Luciano’s winemaking team is Beppe Caviola, who’s won the most prestigious winemaking prize in Italy, Gambero Rosso’s Enologist of the Year. Caviola counts some of the most famous names in The Boot as clients, and his impact on this bottling is apparent in its polish and poise.

If you’re not familiar with Fiano di Avellino or the extraordinary white wines of Campania, this is the place to start. Forbes called Campania “home to Italy’s finest white wines.” Jancis Robinson counted the region’s vineyards among “Italy’s most exciting,” and this is a wine packed with minerality and citrus energy but with the weight to pair well with hearty foods like roast chicken, a phenomenal match if you ask us. Don’t miss this Tre Bicchieri-winning white to sip all through the year.