Southern Italy is more agrarian and less industrialized than the northern portion of the country, and it has been slower to develop infrastructure. Farther from the rest of Europe—geographically as well as culturally—it is also more isolated by mountains and seas. Although it is home to large cities, such as Naples and Palermo, and popular tourist destinations, such as the Amalfi Coast, the south has more poverty than, and over double the unemployment rate of, the rest of Italy. Some of its regions are not widely known outside the country, except perhaps to descendants of Italian immigrants who left those regions seeking opportunity.
During the unification of Italy in the 19th century, the Risorgimento government was largely composed of northerners. The south was hurt by heavy taxation, high protective tariffs on northern industrial goods, and a mandatory seven years of military service, which had a particularly significant impact on the farm labor force in rural areas. As late as 1900, the illiteracy rate in southern Italy was 70%, 10 times higher than that of England, France, or Germany. More than four million Italians—over 10% of the national population—immigrated to the United States between 1880 and 1924, most of them from the rural south and the island of Sicily.
Yet despite its hardships, southern Italy has a long and rich history with viticulture and was likely one of the world’s earliest centers of vine domestication, after the Caucuses, Levant, and eastern Mediterranean. A 2017 archeological discovery of wine residue in terra-cotta jars inside a cave at Monte Kronio, in southwestern Sicily, suggests that winemaking in this area goes back 6,000 years.
The arrival of the Phoenicians and then the Greeks led to the expansion of vine cultivation. The Greeks reached southern Italy
Hey Patrick - generally speaking my understanding is that “tufo” would refer to volcanic material while “tufa” would refer to limestone. Greco di Tufo is named for the commune of Tufo, which took its name from the soft, porous volcanic rock that was historically quarried in the area (tufo being the Italian word for “tuff”). That said, Irpinia is a large area, corresponding to the entire province of Avellino, and the soils are very diverse as you indicate. The Greco di Tufo DOCG covers 8 communes (not just Tufo itself) in the northern part of the province, and there is a mix of soils throughout including alluvial deposits from the Sabato River. Ian d’Agata notes in Native Wine Grapes of Italy (p. 57) that at the highest elevations and steepest slopes near the town of Tufo “the volcanic soils are poor in nutrients, and rich in clay, limestone, and gravel, with a high presence of chalk and sulfur elements,” while the vineyards near other towns at lower altitudes “are characterized by larger amounts of clay and organic matter, as well as a higher iron content,” and elsewhere there are “sandy soils rich in calcium carbonate.” There is some additional info about the soils on the consorzio web site: https://consorziovinidirpinia.it/vini/greco-di-tufo-docg-vino/
My understanding is that the soil type in the Irpinia hills is mainly limestone and that the "Tufo" in Greco di Tufo is a misnomer as the soils are not of volcanic origin. The Guildsomm article from 2017 "Irpinia: the Heart of Campania" states as much. I'm wondering if it is a mix of soil types and not as clear cut as we all want it to be. Can anyone provide any context that would be helpful?
Thank you so much Michael for the help!
Moscadeddu would likely refer to Moscato Bianco, and it appears there is a separate variety called Nuragus Moscadeddu that is unrelated to Nuragus. Ian D’Agata notes in “Native Wine Grapes of Italy” that “In Sardinia, Moscato Bianco was first documented in the sixteenth century as Moscadeddu” (p. 104). In the section on Nuragus he notes that “there are two other extremely rare, distinct varieties sharing the Nuragus name: Nuragus Moscadeddu, also known as Nuragus Moscatello or Nuragus Rosso Rompizolla, and Nuragus Arrubiu, currently not being cultivated” (p. 377).
Is Moscadeddu really the synonym of Moscato Bianco but not Nuragus? I find contradict answer --> One producer has a wine named Moscadeddu but is made from 100% Moscato, but Wein Plus also says it is Nuragus Nuragus Moscadeddu | wein.plus Lexicon
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Hello - There is some discussion of this in The World of Sicilian Wine by Bill Nesto MW and Frances di Savino (pages 57-58). They note that “the final version of the Sicilia DOC disciplinare (regulation) approved in Rome conspicuously does not prohibit or restrict off-island bottling of Sicilia DOC wines.” An earlier proposal would have grandfathered in mainland bottlers who had been using the Sicilia IGT for at least three years and allowed them to use the new DOC instead, but was apparently changed during the approval process resulting in the creation of Sicilia DOC and Terre Siciliane IGT in 2011.
Curious math question regarding Sicily's production.... this guide states that 38% of the production of Sicily is DOC/DOCG level but only 20% of Sicily's production is bottled on the island. This would mean that a significant portion of the DOC wine is bottled somewhere else? Or am I reading this wrong? I looked in the disciplinare for Sicilia DOC (which would seem to be the place the discrepancy would have to be) and cannot find a mention of a requirement to bottle within the DOC, although there are some regulations about closures, packaging materials and size...
Sicily planted acreage has fallen to 96,903ha in 2024 - putting it second behind the Veneto in planted acreage.
Hey, John! This is an interesting one. Terre d'Abruzzo was approved at the EU level in January of 2024 and is an IGP that covers the whole province. My read here is that is a catchall IGP so larger houses/factories can produce wines from across the region instead of a specific area.
The other IGP's are still in existence and producers are still bottling under them as of the 2024 vintage
Typically when a PDO or PGI becomes irrelevant it will be "Cancelled" at the EU level. Also, after reviewing the Disciplinare of the IGP, they do not mention it becoming the catchall for the province. To my knowledge, the Province has 9 IGPs and the guide is updated to feature that.