This post was written by sophomore Greyson Monaghan-Bergson, a wine studies major.
At the vineyard with the professors from the University of Naples, we were able to see some of the stuff we were lectured about firsthand. Namely the soil that Dr. Antonello Bonfante of the Italian National Research Council spoke of and the pruning methods that University di Napoli Federico II Professor Veronica de Micco touched on. On top of that, Arturo Erbaggio, also from the CNR, showed us the experimental arch trellising method designed to create shade for the berries. They went on to explain that their goal for the project was to preserve the “freshness” of the wine which basically means keeping the acids high.
After the vineyard, we drove to Feudi di San Gregorio. The drive was only about half an hour but felt longer as the temperature of the bus slowly climbed to 30℃. At the winery, we got to look at the fermenting equipment. They had the biggest barrels I have ever seen! Their largest ones could hold 3000L. For comparison, the standard barrel used holds 255L, so those were pretty large. After that, we got to taste some of their wines. I’ll spare you the tasting notes but needless to say, they were very good. The wine they talked up the most was their Greco di Tufo. This wine is one of the most desirable abroad from Campania and for a good reason. This wine was just beautifully elegant yet took over your palate. On top of that, since it had high acidity it could be laid down and aged. I am definitely going to try that.
Next, we went to Quintedecimo to see Luigi Moio. He is a big name in southern Italian wine and certainly earned that reputation. Not only is he a professor at the University of Naples, the president of the International Organization of Wine and Vines (OIV), but he is also an amazing winemaker. We tasted four of his wines and once again the Greco took front stage. The best way I can describe it is as a wine whose depth keeps increasing with every sip. The thing that stuck out to me the most from all the wines today was that they were the opposite of anything people say about Southern Italian wines. They are usually described as big and jammy wines with no depth; but, these wines were insanely light and acidic making them taste super fresh!
