Irpinia

The Protected Designation of Origin "Irpinia" includes the wines Red, Rosato, White and Novello, as well as productions with indication of grape variety: Coda di volpe, Falanghina, Fiano, Greco, Piedirosso, Aglianico, Sciascinoso, Falanghina spumante, Fiano spumante, Greco spumante, Fiano passito, Greco passito, Aglianico passito and Aglianico liquoroso. Finally, the production of wines with an indication of the Campi Taurasini sub-area is also foreseen.

Grapes

The white "Irpinia" is produced with grapes from vineyards composed of vines Greco and Fiano, both present with shares between 40% and 50%. Rosso, Rosato and Novello, on the other hand, have an Aglianico base (minimum 70%) which rises to 85% for the wines of the Campi Taurasini sub-area. Finally, all single-variety wines are obtained from vineyards that have at least 85% of the corresponding grapes. In all productions it is possible to use, for the remaining quotas, other grape varieties of similar color, as long as they are suitable for cultivation in the "provincia di Avellino".

Physicochemical and Organoleptic properties

The White wine (minimum total alcoholic strength by volume of 10.5% vol.) has a straw-yellow appearance, of variable intensity, with a floral and fruity aroma and a dry and balanced taste. In the red (11% vol.) the tonality is ruby, associated to a floral, fruity and persistent smell and to a dry, balanced and characteristic taste. The Rosato (11% vol.) has a floral and fruity aroma and a soft, dry or sweet taste. In Novello (11% vol.) the colour becomes purple red; the aroma is fruity, intense and winy and on the palate it is intense, with a taste from dry to sweet. The wines of the Campi Taurasini sub-area (12% vol.) are ruby and tend towards garnet as they age; they have an intense, persistent, characteristic and pleasant aroma and a dry, soft, full-bodied, rightly tannic flavour. Finally, the regulations also indicate all the organoleptic characteristics that enrich the single-variety wines.

Grape production area

The production area coincides with the entire Iripinia area in the "provincia di Avellino".

Specificity and historical notes

The wine tradition of Irpinia is undoubtedly pre-Roman, but its strong development dates back to 1800 and is linked to the discovery of large deposits of sulfur in the municipality of Tufo.