Italian Wine Adventure #10: Fiano! (A nearly extinct ancient grape makes a comeback, bigger bodied white wine, famous foods from the Campania area of Italy, Chardonnay alternative)

Show Notes

Episode 105: Italian Wine Adventure #10: Fiano !  00:00

Hello! And welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and my wine pairing partner in crime, Carmela. And we are The Wine Pair! 

Ok, a quick orientation for those of you who may be new to the podcast - in each episode we learn about, taste and give our honest review of three wines that are reasonably priced - meaning under $20 each -  and should be easy for you to find, and we talk about what foods to pair with that wine! And our podcast is made for people who want to learn more about wine, find new wines to enjoy, and just want someone to talk about wine in a fun way that regular people can understand and use in their daily lives. So, if that sounds like you, you are in the right place! And we are proud to say that we are recommended by the editors of Decanter Magazine who call us fun, irreverent, chatty, and entertaining

This week, Carmela, we are again embarking on an Italian Wine Adventure, and this time, as I mentioned in the intro, we are heading back to the Campania area of Italy, perhaps better known for the city of Naples, Capri and the Amalfi coast, Mount Vesuvius and the ancient city of Pompei, and pizza.

Yes, Campania is the birthplace of pizza, and so of course we would expect wines made in Campania to be perfect complements for pizza, which is true, but in this episode, we are talking about a white wine called Fiano. No that you can’t drink white wine with pizza - cause you can - it’s just that red wines typically go better. But more on that in a second. 

Now, you can find Fiano in other places like Puglia, which is the heel of the boot of Italy, as well as in Australia. Facts - I have been noticing that a lot of Italian wines are finding their way to Australia. Also facts - the areas of Campania and Puglia where Fiano wine is often found, are where your parent’s side of the family come from in Italy. 

We’ll talk a bit more about just WTF Fiano wine is in a few minutes, but before we do that, I do want to spend just a couple of minutes talking about foods from Campania. 

Now, we already talked about pizza, and I will say that for most Americans, they are just starting to really appreciate how wonderful the Neapolitan style of pizza is more broadly - and many of the new pizza gadgets that are coming out, like Ooni ovens, are really just trying to make the style of pizza that comes from Naples. And BTW, If you are going to have a pizza with white wine, best to go with a white pizza, which is a pizza without tomato sauce.

Now, something that many Americans may not know, because we are so red-meat centric, is that many of the dishes from Naples are fish or vegetable based, and not as much meat based, and those dishes are great with white wine.

For example, a classic pasta dish from Naples is Spaghetti con Vongole or spaghetti with clams. Another classic pasta dish is Pasta Fagioli or pasta with beans, sometimes better known as pasta fazool. A third pasta dish many of you may have had that comes from that area is Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, which is a spicy pasta sauce made with tomatoes and anchovies and garlic and capers, which is less well known as spaghetti of the prostitutes, or as my mom would say, whores. Puttanesca is slang for prostitute, BTW

Another BTW is that some of our favorite and most popular pasta shapes - spaghetti and linguine - are pasta shapes based in Naples. Yes, specific areas of Italy are known for specific shapes and types of pasta. Also FACTS.

Another great dish from Naples is one of our favorites - eggplant parmigiana, which seems weird since parmigiana means that it is from Parma, which is a city in northern Italy, which is where the name Parmagiana comes from, but I digress. And also FACTS. And there are lots of legumes that are popular in dishes from Naples, like garbanzo or ceci beans, lentils, and fava beans, bell peppers, zucchini, and arugula. 

And, the Napolitano are also well known for clams and mussels, polpo or octopus, calamari aka squid, and fritto misto - which is a mix of fried fish and veggies. So, when you get that fried calamari, just know that is a very Napolitano dish. 

There are also some famous cheeses from Naples, and one of the most famous is mozzarella di bufala - which is actually made from buffaloes. Seriously. And, remember when I said that Capri is in Campania? Well, guess what? Caprese salad - that now ubiquitous salad made of mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and olive oil that was something I knew as a kid but feels like it just became popular in the last 20 years - is named after Capri!

So, this wine, like a lot of white wines, goes well with fried foods, spicy foods, fish, cheese, and vegetables. And those, along with pizza and dishes like spaghetti and meatballs, are very much foods from Campania, which, again, is where Fiano comes from. 

So, we are going to learn a little more about Fiano wine, and then we are going to taste and review three Fiano wines to let you know what we think

But first . . . we have to do our shameless plug.

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And, as we do every week, we’ll tell you someone we think you should tell about The Wine Pair Podcast. This week, we want you to tell anyone who loves a good Caprese salad or pizza or one of those other dishes we mentioned - and you let them know you now know what where this fabulous cuisine comes from, and it’s not just Italy, but specifically Campania. 


ARTICLES and LINKS

• https://cinquecentopizzeria.com/who-invented-pizza-and-more-of-the-history-of-pizza/#:~:text=However%2C%20when%20it%20comes%20to,'Pomodoro%20e%20Mozzarella'%20pizza.
• https://www.italyfoodies.com/blog/campania-food-naples-italy-food-guide 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neapolitan_cuisine#:~:text=The%20most%20popular%20variety%20of,usually%20topped%20with%20Neapolitan%20rag%C3%B9.

Topic: WTF is Fiano? 11:17

So, Carmela, I think it’s time for us to talk about just WTF Fiano is. We have already established a couple of things. First, it is a white wine, second, it is originally from the Campania area of Italy. And if you are trying to picture in your mind where Campania is, when you think of Italy as a leg, Campania is the area where your foot flexes on the front of your leg.

I want to shout out to a website called Good Pair Days who has an excellent article on Fiano that you can find a link to in our show notes if you just go to this episode and then click on this episode and scroll down to the show notes.

Facts about Fiano. Fiano is an important wine in Southern Italy, and the top Fiano region, and the one that is recognized and protected with a DOCG or guarantee of authenticity and quality, is in an area called Avellino which is named for a city about 45 minutes outside of Naples. The Fiano from this region - and we have two wines from Avellino we are drinking today - are considered the best or purest examples of the wine.

Fiano is the name for the wine and the grape, so unlike a lot of wines in Italy and France and other European regions, the wine and grape have the same name. Fiano is a grape that likes hot weather, which makes sense since this area of Italy is very warm, and so Fiano is also being grown in other warm weather wine growing regions in Italy like Puglia and Sicily, and even other areas like Australia. Also unlike a lot of white wines, Fiano is a wine that can age. 

I won’t go into a lot of the taste profile just yet because I don’t want to bias our tasting, but one thing that Fiano can be noted for, particularly in Avellino, is having some nuttiness in the taste and smell - particularly hazelnut. Interestingly enough, some of the grape growing vineyards are near hazelnut orchards and supposedly that can influence the taste - so, there you go.

Now, also facts, but Fiano was a wine that was almost extinct not so long ago. Evidently, Fiano is a grape that does not create a lot of berries and those berries don’t yield a ton of juice. So, although it is hearty and well suited for hot weather, it was hard for farmers to make enough money from it. So, less and less of it was being planted. Luckily, in the latter part of the 20th century, there was a resurgence in interest, and the DOCG was created in 2003, so pretty recently.

To be considered a true Fiano di Avellino, which is the name of the DOCG, the wine has to be at least 85% Fiano and has to be at least 11.5% alcohol. Winemakers in the region are allowed to call it Apianum, which is a name that links its roots to the Roman empire, and some say even the ancient Greeks may have grown the grape and made wine with it. The Romans called the grape vitis apiana, meaning wine of the bees, and to this day, bees are said to be very attracted to the grape. 

This is a wine that can vary in flavor a lot depending on where it is made, in Australia it is evidently a bit crisp and acidic, while in Italy it is known for being a bit of a heavy and richer wine wine, so maybe not quite our cup of tea, but we will find that out since all of the wines we are drinking today are from Italy. 

So, on that note, I think it’s time to learn a little more about the specific wines we are drinking today. Whaddya say?

ARTICLES and LINKS

• https://www.goodpairdays.com/guides/wine-grapes/article/fiano/#:~:text=Fiano%20is%20an%20ancient%20Italian,buy%20Fiano%20wine%20online%20today%20%C2%BB
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiano_(grape)

Fiano Wines We Chose for This Episode 17:59

Usually, all of the wines we have chosen for this episode are under $20, but I have a confession that one of the wines we are drinking today is just a touch over $20. And, again, this may be something we just have to deal with as prices rise. I will say that on average, all of our wines are under $20, so there’s that. And all of them should be relatively easy to find because I bought them all at wine.com.

Now, I am not sure exactly how easy it will be to find Fiano where you live, but if you can find a wine shop with a large selection or a large Italian wine selection, you should be able to find Fiano. 

The first wine we are going to be tasting and reviewing today is the 2020 Claudio Quarta Cantina Sanpaolo Fiano di Avellino. A mouthful. So, this wine is definitely from the Avellino DOCG, which again is  the top production area for Fiano.

There is not a ton of information I could find out about this wine, but I can let you know it is 100% Fiano, so although they are allowed to be as little as 85% Fiano, this wine is just made of Fiano. 

This wine is also described as “vinified in steel and refined in the bottle.” To “refine” a wine is different from fining and filtering. Refining a wine means that they are trying to balance the wine, and so we take this to mean trying to balance out the body of the wine - remember, these are supposed to be bigger bodied whites - with acidity and tannins. I will also note that this wine is relatively high in alcohol for a white wine at 13.5%, so my expectation is that they are trying to let the wine age a bit in the bottle before they release it so it can “calm down” a bit.

The 2020 did not have any professional reviews that I could find, but the 2021 did have a number of very high ratings. So, we’ll see if we think the 2020 that we are drinking today is a good value.

The next wine we are going to try today is the 2019 La Capranera Paestum Fiano. Note from the name that while this wine is from Campania, it is not from the Avellino DOCG, but rather from Paestum. Paestum is an area south of Naples that was actually an ancient Greek settlement in Italy where there is still a very well preserved Greek temple there. 

Paestum is an IGT, and that means that it is an officially recognized wine region with a special designation, but not as specific as a DOC or DOCG. Some of the best wines in the world are IGTs, including Sassiciai and Masseto. So, IGT should not be confused with a lower quality wine. 

This wine is also fermented in stainless steel tanks, and it spends 8 months in those tanks before it is put in bottles, which gives it just a touch of aging. This winery is also noted for sustainable farming, and the name “la caprenera” means “black goat” in Italian, and evidently, those goats are found in the area of Campania where this wine is made, which is in the middle of a national park. 

There was not a ton of other information I could find about this wine, although there are lots of articles for reference in our show notes, but I am curious to see if this wine is noticeably different from the Avellino wines. 

And, speaking of Avellino wines, our last wine is a 2020 Terredora di Paolo Fiano di Avellino. This was the wine that was a little over our price point, so sorry about that. And this wine got a 93 rating from James Suckling, so sorry about that, as well. 

This wine is also 100% Fiano and fermented in stainless steel tanks, it is macerated on the skins for 24 hours, so I wonder if this will have a little color on it, and this wine is aged for 6 months on the lees before it is bottled, so I am expecting this wine to have some body and some depth to it. Again, the lees is the dead yeast and other gunk left over from the fermentation process, and letting a wine stay in contact with the lees can impart some flavor and body to a wine. 

This wine is made by an offshoot of the Mastroberardino family, and these are probably the best known wine makers in Campania, and they are famous for their Taurasi wines, and were influential in the revival of the Fiano grape and wine. Terredora di Paolo was started in 1978 when part of the family broke away from the main Mastroberardino brand, so, it sounds like there was some drama there. Since splitting away, they have become the largest vineyard owners in Campania, and are really focused on the traditional wines and grapes of the area. 

But, I think that is enough information - let’s get to drinking! We’ll take a quick break and be right back. And, if you have these wines or similar wines, drink along with us!


ARTICLES and LINKS

• https://shop.claudioquarta.it/products/fiano-di-avellino-docg 
• https://costplusliquors.com/products/la-capranera-paestum-fiano-2019-750ml
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paestum 
• https://blog.chwine.com/understanding-italy-doc-docg-igt-vdt/#:~:text=IGT%20(Indicazione%20Geografica%20Tipica)%3A,way%20of%20consistency%20and%20quality. 
• https://www.vivino.com/wine-regions/paestum 
• https://www.plummarket.com/store/2021-la-capranera-fiano-paestum-campania-021-0.html 
• https://viaswine.com/website/products/terredora-di-paolo-fiano-di-avellino-docg/ 
• https://www.tanners-wines.co.uk/terredora 

Fiano Wine Pairing Tasting and Reviews 27:16

Wine: Claudio Quarta Cantina Sanpaolo Fiano di Avellino
Region: Italy, Campania
Year: 2020
Price: $19.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 13.5%
Grapes: Fiano

What we tasted and smelled in this Claudio Quarta Cantina Sanpaolo Fiano di Avellino:

• On the nose: citrus, grapefruit, nectarine, Fig Newton, rich, sweet, tropical fruit, nutty note, smells syrupy
• In the mouth: flavorful, body, a cocktail wine, complex, almost tastes like a mixed drink, grapefruit, pineapple, tangy, orange rind, Sour Patch Kid, lemony, vanilla. On the sweet side. 

Food to pair with this Claudio Quarta Cantina Sanpaolo Fiano di Avellino: Could handle a lot of foods, pizza, eggplant parmigiana, cheesy food, fried foods, white pizza with mushrooms or sausage, creamy sauce pasta, pasta carbonara, puttanesca. 
 
As a reminder on our rating scale, we rate on a scale of 1-10, where 7 and above means that we would buy it, and 4 and below means that we are likely to pour it down the sink, and a 5 or 6 means we are likely to drink it and finish it, but we are probably not going to buy it. 

Claudio Quarta Cantina Sanpaolo Fiano di Avellino Wine Rating: 

• Joe: 8/10
• Carmela: 8/10

Wine: La Capranera Paestum Fiano
Region: Italy, Campania
Year: 2019
Price: $15.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 12.5%
Grapes: Fiano

What we tasted and smelled in this La Capranera Paestum Fiano:

• On the nose: grapefruit, orange zest, apple, musty, lemony, vanilla, lemon Perugina candy
• In the mouth: Tart, Lemonhead candy, lemon, tannin, lighter body, more of a summer sipper, stone, bitterness at the end, crisp

Food to pair with this La Capranera Paestum Fiano: fried food, cacio e pepe, white pizza, garlic bread, pesto, garlicky foods, grilled vegetables

La Capranera Paestum Fiano Wine Rating: 

• Joe: 7/10
• Carmela: 7/10

Wine: Terredora di Paolo Fiano di Avellino
Region: Italy, Campania
Year: 2020
Price: $22.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 12.5%
Grapes: Fiano
Professional Rating: JS 93

What we tasted and smelled in this Terredora di Paolo Fiano di Avellino:

• On the nose: Gasoline, glue, orange, thick smelling, apple, yeast, can tell it was on the lees
• In the mouth: citrus, tangy, orange, Granny Smith apple, pear, creamy, medium body

Food to pair with this Terredora di Paolo Fiano di Avellino: White sauce, chicken marsala, chicken piccata, chicken cutlet with lemon, chicken katsu, fried chicken, very spicy wings


Terredora di Paolo Fiano di Avellino Wine Rating: 

• Joe: 7/10
• Carmela: 7/10

Which one of these are you finishing tonight?

• Carmela: Claudio Quarta Cantina Sanpaolo Fiano di Avellino
• Joe: Claudio Quarta Cantina Sanpaolo Fiano di Avellino

Taste profiles expected from Fiano  46:42

• General 
  • Good Pair Days: Pear, Hazelnut, Orange Peel, Citrus
  • Cards of Wine: Pear, Peach, Orange Zest, Honey Flower, Pine, Spices, Hazelnut
• Claudio Quarta Cantina Sanpaolo Fiano di Avellino
  • Winery: Bright straw yellow color, the nose conquers for the complexity of the aromas: from the floral of broom, acacia, chamomile as well as a faint vein of mandarin, white pulp fruit, with a background of hazelnut and mineral and smoky notes. On the palate it is rich in fruit and balanced, a seductive acidity refreshes the palate, offering a long and vibrant finish. 
• La Capranera Paestum Fiano
  • Winery: Notes of apple and citrus on the nose with a hint of honeysuckle. The same fruit is echoed on the palate with mineral notes on the finish.
  • Wine Library: Soft and round mouth-feel, light and refreshing. Crisp acidity. Hints of peaches and pears, with great minerality
• Terredora di Paolo Fiano di Avellino
  • Winery: Elegant and complex bouquet on the nose with nice ripe flowery and fruity aromas: pear, apricot, citrus, toasted hazelnut, acacia, honey and a pleasant mineral note. On the palate it is dry, elegant, with a lively acidity, a nice structure and balance. It evolves well over the years.
  • JS: Tense and pure fiano with some lemon and flinty allures upon a fine twist of honey and blossoms. Medium to full body on the palate rendering a taut, textured finish. Pure, refreshing and zingy.

Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast 49:26

Ok, so, Carmela, it is just about time for us to go, but before we do, we want to thank you very much for listening to us - and if you haven’t done so yet, now would be the perfect time to subscribe to our podcast and also a fantastic time to leave us a nice rating and review on our website or Apple podcasts or other podcast service - and it is an awesome and free way to support us and help us grow listeners.

We would also love to hear from you about a wine you would like us to taste and review. You can, leave a message for us on our website thewinepairpodcast.com and you can join our email newsletter there, too, or you can just email us at joe@thewinepairpodcast.com and tell us about a wine you are curious about, or curious what we think of it. 

Alright, with that, we are going to sign off, so thanks again, and we will see you next time. And, as we say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine.