piedirosso Archives - Undiscovered Italy

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Mike Madaio Campania, _reD April 20, 2015December 14, 2017aglianico, piedirosso 1 Comment

Perusing the cheese aisle of Carlino’s – one of my favorite local Italian Markets – I stopped dead in my tracks. My heart warmed, and tears nearly formed in my eyes. The item I sought – unknowingly on this particular visit – that was now staring back at me from the chilled cheese case was more than just any foodstuff. Within its aged crystals of lactose goodness there was history, culture, and most of all, family.

It was a hunk of mastorazio pecorino from Casa Madaio, a small cheese cave based near Salerno in Campania, in Southern Italy. That this hand-made pecorino is one of the finest specimens of the variety I’ve ever tasted is besides the point; you’ll obviously notice that I happen to share a cognome with this particular Italian azienda. Are we related? That I can’t say for sure, though I do know that the name Madaio is a relatively rare one, even in Italy, and my roots do run to Campania as well. The odds seem ever in our favor. And though I’ve been aware of them for some time now, this was the first time I’ve come across their products stateside. (It does look like they have launched an online shop – not sure if they ship to the USA.)

Having secured my prized morsel, I of course needed some Campanian wine to match. Two current Chairman’s Selections fit the bill nicely:

Feudi di San Gregorio Lacryma Christi Rosso 2010 ($12.99)
My love for this DOC has been previously documented, so my local wine specialist describing this wine as “feral” only sealed the deal. It needs some time to open up – decanting is essential – but once it does, it is a beauty. The addition of some Aglianico adds heft to the typically lighter Piedirosso, though the classic violet and plum flavors are there. Smoke and tar also appear, as they should in any volcanic wine worth its lava.

Cantine Faliesi Vitis Aeclani Taurasi DOCG 2009 ($17.99)
Frank suggested I give this one a shot, and I’m sure glad he did. It’s a big, bold Taurasi and a bargain-bin price… Nose of earth and tar, with dark cherry and anise notes on the palate. The oak influence is minimal and well-balanced. Though Steve Pollack suggests this is for the collectors, for me it’s drinking great now and I see little reason to wait, especially at this price (though I agree it should be decanted).

Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso 2011

Mike Madaio Campania April 10, 2013January 22, 2016piedirosso 1 Comment

Of Positano, Italy, John Steinbeck once wrote: “Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you are gone.” In some ways, one might say this about any vacation destination, or perhaps even the act of going on vacation at all (at least for those of us who hold day jobs), but having visited Positano several years ago, I can attest that Steinbeck’s words are eerily prophetic in this particular scenario. There’s just something about the place that has caused it to increasingly and consistently grow in stature in my mind as more days pass since my visit.

The reason for this lengthy aside is that, while visiting Postiano, we drank at least one bottle of Mastrobeardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio each day. It was truly the perfect wine for the situation: a friendly, local red that paired well with a variety of foods, including fresh seafood, as well as panoramic ocean views. The question, of course, that one has to ask, however, is whether the wine has grown in stature in our minds since we left Positano. Was it really all that good, or was it the ocean views? Which reminds me of another great quote, from wine writer Bill St. John: “The reason you do not get headaches from drinking wine on vacation is that you are on vacation.”

All that said, my radar obviously went off when I saw our very own Positano wine coming into the CS program for $14.99. (Though $15 is not dirt cheap by any means, this wine sells for $23 at Total Wine, so it is certainly a good opportunity to grab some.)

But, you are surely wondering, did it live up to the hype of my memory? Really, how could it have? I drank it at home, indoors. That said, it is very much an enjoyable wine that will pair nicely with good friends, a deck or patio and the warmer months ahead. It’s medium-bodied, features floral notes, herbs and plummy dark fruits. After several hours of air, a smoky, ashy note was evident as well, adding complexity and taking me back to the volcanic skyline of Campania.

Grotta del Sole Piedirosso dei Campi Flegrei (2010)

Mike Madaio Campania March 9, 2012piedirosso 0 Comment

grotta_del_sole_piedirosso Piedirosso (literally “red feet”, for their red stalks) is a red grape native to Campania that’s more often used for blending than as a single varietal wine. It is, however, the sole grape in Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso, a famous red grown on the banks of Mount Vesuvius (but that’s another story for another time). This Piedirosso is grown in the Phlegraean Fields (Campi Flegrei), an area west of Naples that also features volcanic soil, but lacks the heights of Vesuvius.

A particularly interesting fact about this wine is that the grapes were grown on ungrafted root stock. For those that don’t know the history, in the mid-19th century, Europe was infested with Phylloxera, a parasite that sucked all the sap out of grape vines until they died. For a long time, it appeared that the wine industry could crumble, but it was eventually discovered that the aphid was native to the Americas, and must have come over with some transported plants. American grape rootstock was immune to the pest, so a grafting technique was created that allowed native European vines to grow on top of the American roots. As such, the vast majority of vines planted today in most European wine regions are grafted.