04 Sep Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina 2018

It is hot outside and all I want to drink is a crisp, refreshing white wine. A week spent in Campagna, in the south of Italy, meant I had a few choices….Falanghina, Fiano di Avellino and Grecco di Tufo. Honestly, I have been enjoying them all and it is really hard to say I have a favorite. But, if there was one I had to chose, it is the aromatic and refreshing Falanghina. And that is why the Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina 2018 DOC is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week. Feudi di San Gregorio is located in the Avellino region in Campagna, otherwise known as Irpinia. Established in 1986, Feudi di San Gregorio has 890 different plots/vineyards, totaling 400 hectares. The Falanghina comes from Sannio, a hilly area north of Naples, which straddles the Benevento and Avellino provinces. The soils are mixed, including chalky tuff and calcareous clay. Recently I was at a restaurant touting its “natural” wine list and they had a Falanghina blend by the glass. When I went to order it, the server mentioned to me that it had “barnyard aromas”. That is NOT what Falanghina is supposed to smell like. The Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina 2018 is an example of what Falanghina should taste like and why it is such a beautiful grape growing in popularity. The Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina 2018 is a pale straw yellow color. It is super-aromatic with perfumed notes of white flowers, fruity citrus notes and candied fruit. On the palate, the wine is bright and fresh with crisp acidity and an elegant saline finish. Refreshing, light and clean, this is a wine to enjoy with fresh cheeses or pair with a simple grilled fish. I enjoyed the 2018 vintage while in Italy but that vintage is not yet in the US. The current vintage in the US is 2017 and you can find the wine for $17.