IRPINIA
Since the 2005 vintage Grotta del Sole has been present in Irpinia with a farm in Tufo, which features 7 hectares of vineyards with Greco di tufo and a small cellar with a 600 hl capacity. Here both Greco and Fiano grapes are vinified, and the wines are later bottled in the Quarto winery. Aglianico is made from grapes produced in Castelfranci, in the area of Taurasi, grown with the traditional method with a production of about 80 quintals per hectare. The grapes are vinified in Quarto and the wine is marketed with the IGT Campania label.
The Greco di tufo variety has Greek origins, and was imported to Italy by the Aminei, a Pelasgic people from Greece. Originally this vine was planted in the lower part of the gulf of Posidonia and later along the gulf of Naples. Today its home is the province of Avellino. In Roman times it was called "Aminea Gemina", where Aminea refers to the Aminei people, while Gemina indicates the fact that two "twin" bunches branch out from the same stalk.
Fiano di avellino was instead the Romans' "Apianum" grapes, that means "loved by the bees", due to its high sugar content. Pliny mentioned it in his Naturalis Historia: "bees gave it the surname of apiana, because of their greed in sucking the grapes...".
It seems that the Aglianico variety was brought to Italy by the Greeks when they established their colonies (Cuma, for example) in the area we now call Magna Graecia in the 6th and 7th century b.C. At the time this variety was known by the name of "Ellenicon", meaning "of Greek origin. Today it is widespread mainly in two areas: Avellino and the Vulture. In the area of Avellino Aglianico has its natural habitat in volcanic soils, rich in potassium, and in clayey and clayey-calcareous soils, provided they have a good exposure. Around the town of Taurasi and on the hills along the Calore river, the wine is made from grapes coming from medium-high hills (a 400 to 600 m altitude) with late maturation.