IRPINIA DOC

THE MAP

The Irpinia DOC covers the entire province of Avellino (pale green). Within the DOC are the DOCG zones of Taurasi (blue), Greco di Tufo (pink), and Fiano di Avellino (yellow).

The Campi Taurasini subzone (mint green) is big spoon to Taurasi DOCG—it encompasses the Taurasi zone as well as 7 other outlying comunes.

The Taurasi DOCG and the Fiano di Avellino DOCG overlap in two communes: Lapio and Montefalcione. The Greco di Tufo DOCG and the Fiano di Avellino DOCG overlap in one commune, Prata di Principato Ultra.

THE NAME: Irpinia DOC & the Campi Taurasini 

The name "Irpinia" derives from the ancient and now extinct Oscan word "hirpus", which means wolf, and the wolf remains Irpinia's symbol to this day. The Irpinia DOC sits just below the Sannio DOC along its southern border. While the Sannio is best known for its white wines, the Irpinia DOC houses prime areas for both white and red wine production. 

There is one Irpinia DOC sub-appellation, the Campi Taurasini which includes the communes of: Taurasi, Bonito, Castelfranci, Castelvetere sul Calore, Fontanarosa, Lapio, Luogosano, Mirabella Eclano, Montefalcione, Montemarano, Montemiletto, Paternopoli, Pietradefusi, Sant’Angelo all’Esca, San Mango sul Calore, Torre le Nocelle, Venticano, Gesualdo, Villamaina, Torella dei Lombardi, Grottaminarda, Melito Irpino, Nusco, and Chiusano San Domenico.

The Campi Taurasini is for red wine, Aglianico grape production. Wines produced in this sub-appellation or subzone, would be labeled as Irpnia Campi Taurasini DOC. The Campi Taurasini has aging requirements of 9 months  in bottle before release on to the market compared to no aging requirements for the other Iripinia DOC reds. 

You may notice that Taurasini sounds much like “Taurasi,” another key wine production area located within the Iripini DOC. Adding “ino” (-ini for plural) to a word in Italian functions as a diminutive of the original word. Simply, it means small, or little. It can be literal or used to make a word more affectionate. In this case, Taurasini is used figuratively, but refers to the wines being Taurasi-like, in a “smaller” way, “Little Taurasi.” 

THE LAND

The Irpinia DOC is a larger surrounding area for some key Campania DOCGs: Fiano d’Avellno DOCG (wines made with 100% Fiano from the Avellino province); Greco di Tufo DOCG (wines made from 100% Greco (named after the town of Tufo also in the province of Avellino); and the Taurasi DOCG, which is a red wine denomination dedicated to the Aglianico grape. Wines produced outside of these hyper specific DOCGs will fall within the more general and surrounding Irpinia DOC. The Irpinia DOC red wines are predominantly Aglianico (at least 70%. See below, under “The Grapes”, for the production rules). 

The DOC is at the base of the Apennine mountains*. To be a part of the DOC the vines must grow at or below 600m asl. The Apennines are a mountain chain extending from the Alps that runs down through southern Italy. Since the mountain range is so extensive, it is often characterized or defined by its surrounding regions. This portion of the Apennines in the Iripina DOC are called the Samnite and Campanian Apennines. The climate is continental: snowy winters, potential spring frosts, significant drops in temperature from day-night, and fall rains. The vines closer to rivers and in the valleys are more susceptible to fungus growth (Botrytis) because of the humidity, but the higher altitude zones are dryer and do not have the same risk. The higher altitude zones are harvested the latest, with the vendemmia (“harvest,” in Italian) potentially extending into November.

The entire DOC is a network of hills and valleys and the vineyards are small, fragmented, and not noticeable from the road. With such small, spread out parcels, winemakers have the opportunity to vinify single vineyard wines and really get to know their specific terroir and how it affects the grapes and the resulting wines.

The soil is intricate (see above about small parcels and terroir specific vinifications) but in general characterized by  marine origin limestone (pre-historically, the Mediterranean land was under the ocean) mixed with clay. Certain areas or communes possess higher amounts of sulfur and volcanic matter. The areas that do have loose sandy and volcanic soils are home  to pre-phylloxera vines, which in Europe is if often synonymous with “old vine,” but I believe for a vine to be pre-phylloxera it now need to be closer to 130 years in age (a New York Times article in 1895 reported that the the Italian Consul estimated $30,000,000 in lost wages in Sicily due to the pest).

Old vine wine is a trigger word for many of us winos as it represents a uniqueness not afforded to all wine regions and wine makers. With age, these vines develop fat trunks,  become more gnarled and less productive, which for wine making is a good thing (to an extent...a vine that is barely productive means there’s not much wine to make from it and therefore not much money to make either). Their roots run extremely deep and have access to nutrients and soils not available to the young roots. So in summary, you have vines that perhaps soak more (and different) mineral content and that produce less, concentrating their nutrients and efforts on fewer grapes. Old vines combined with the right terroir and winemaker produce wines with unparalleled concentration and depth. These wines come at a premium price for the reason stated above. 

*The Apennines are home to some of the world’s most untouched ecosystems. The national parks protect these forests and mountain grasslands that are home to Italian Wolf and the Marsican brown bear, both extinct in the rest of Europe. It is said that there are only 50 Marsican bears left. 

HISTORY

The name "Irpinia" comes from the extinct Oscan language, "hirpus", which means wolf. The Wolf is still Irpinia’s symbol and knowing the tid-bit about the near extinct Apenine Wolf, it makes sense. The occupants, Hiripini, lived contemporaneously with the Greeks, but were a distinct peoples.  With the imminent threat of Roman occupation, the Hiripini signed an alliance with the Samnites in 275 BCE, but to know avail as they alone with the Samnites were conquered by the Romans in 252 BCE.

Like many areas in southern Italy, Irpinia still proudly showcases its ancient past in the ruins of the town of Aeclanum, a Samnite inhabited Roman town along the Via Appia near Mirabella Eclano. The Museo Irpino in Avellino has on display marble friezes and statues taken from the bath houses.

THE GRAPES

White grapes: Coda di Volpe, Falanghina, Fiano, and Greco

Red grapes: Aglianico, Piedirosso, and Sciascinoso

WHITE WINES

General “Bianco”: 40–50% Fiano; 40–50% Greco; maximum 20% OANWG (Other Allowed  Non-Aromatic White Grapes)

Whites where the name appears on the label:

Coda di Volpe: Minimum 85% Coda di Volpe + OANWG

Falanghina: Minimum 85% Falanghina + OANWG

Fiano: Minimum 85% Fiano + OANWG

Greco: Minimum 85% Greco + OANWG

ROSATO WINES

Rosato (Ro): Minimum 70% Aglianico + OANRG (Other Allowed  Non-Aromatic Red Grapes)

RED WINES

General “Rosso”: Minimum 70% Aglianico + OANRG

Reds where the name appears on the label:

Aglianico: Minimum 85% Aglianico + OANRG

Piedirosso: Minimum 85% Piedirosso + OANRG

Sciascinoso: Minimum 85% Sciascinoso + OANRG

“Novello”: Minimum 70% Aglianico + OANRG

SPARKLING WINES

Can be made by a second fermentation (Champagne method) of varietal Falanghina, Fiano, or Greco. Wines must be aged 20mo before release.

DESSERT AND SPECIALTY WINES

The DOC allows Passito style (grapes must be dried before pressed, either on or off the vines) dessert wines from the Fiano, Greco, and Aglianico grapes.