My friends and I are getting to that age. You know, the one where the kids are out of the house, the retirement savings have started to accumulate, and the anniversary numbers are starting to click through to the significant double digits.
So what’s a couple to do? Well, some of our friends are definitely splashing out on some of the dream vacations that they’ve been waiting a long while to take.
Which is how I ended up getting an e-mail recently (as I occasionally do) from some old friends asking: “We’re going to spend our big wedding anniversary on a sailing boat off the coast of Naples for a couple of weeks, and the captain wants to know what wines he should stock. Help!”
They went on to say that this sailing outfit was the kind of place that would definitely source their favorite Napa Viognier and Cabernet if they wanted, but that would come at a premium. Instead, they were emailing me to say they’d enjoy learning about good local wines if there were any to be had.
This, dear reader, is one of the great parts of my “job.” Spending other people’s money is so much fun, especially if you can turn them on to some great wines in the process.
Here’s what I told them to ask for instead of paying too much money to drink what they already know and love.
Naples is in the heart of Campania, which has great wine, so finding something local won’t be hard at all. I’ll list a few of my favorites from the region, and describe them, and based on the descriptions you can decide which ones sound best to you.
Sparkling
Almost everywhere in Italy produces sparkling wine, but in my opinion, there isn’t much great sparkling wine in Campania. But it’s your big anniversary, so you ought to have some decent sparkling wine to toast with. Someone should be able to get ahold of either some Bellavista Franciacorta Millesimato (vintage-dated white or rosé) or some Ferrari “Perle” Trentino Spumante for you…. Both are comparable to Champagne, and excellent. They’re about $50-60 US per bottle, but should be cheaper over there.
White
The white wines of the Island of Capri, just off of Naples—I’d be surprised if you didn’t stop there for a little while on your jaunt—are gorgeous and perfect for drinking with the fresh seafood you’ll undoubtedly want to be consuming. The wines are lemony, herbal, slightly salty, crisp and bright. Most of the wines that are classified Capri Bianco DOP are excellent, but I especially enjoy the wines of Scala Fenicia.
The other island in the area (that you’ll most certainly stop at) that makes fantastic (crisp, bright, citrusy) white wines is Ischia. I’ve quite literally never had a wine from there I haven’t liked. You can look out for white wines by Cenatiempo and Casa d’Ambra.
Likewise, the white wines from the Costa d’Amalfi are really excellent with similar profiles: bright, crisp, citrusy, and often floral. Look for wines labeled as Costa d’Amalfi Ravello Bianco DOP, and Costa d’Amalfi Furore Bianco DOP. You can’t go wrong with the white wines of Marisa Cuomo or Sammarco Ettore with those two designations. Marisa Cuomo is one of my favorite winemakers in Italy.
Another wine to look for in the crisper, zippier, seafood-focused genre would be the Vesuvio Bianco DOP from Casa Setaro or the Paestun Fiano IGP from Tempa di Zoe’.
For richer whites (flavors of flowers, honey, stone fruit, etc.) that are a little closer to your favorite Viognier, look for Campi Flegrei (the region) Falanghina (the grape) from Cantine Astroni, especially their Vigna Astroni. If you can’t find that wine, consider a Falanghina called “DUBL” from Feudi di San Gregorio or the Falanghina “Libero” from Fontanavecchia.
One last more robust white would be the Ventiventi Beneventano Bianco IGP from Tenuta Sant’Agostino.
Also, pretty much any rosé from Capri or Ischia will be fantastic, and might…
Source : https://www.vinography.com/2024/05/what-wine-to-drink-on-your-amalfi-coast-sailing-trip
