"Campania felix." This is how the Romans called this region due to its overwhelming fertility. Authors like Pliny the Elder and Virgil praised its wine tradition. Not by chance, one of the most celebrated wines of the time, Falernian, was produced in this very region.
Here, we focus on the white wines of the Amalfi Coast - famous for its landscape and tourism - with Mediterranean fragrances and evident iodized notes that accompany the cuisine, particularly fish dishes, which are a must-try in local restaurants. The Costa d'Amalfi DOC, created in 1995, comprises three subzones: Ravello (including the municipalities of Ravello, Scala, Minori, Atrani); Furore (including Furore, Praiano, Conca dei Marmi, and Amalfi); and Tramonti (including Tramonti and Maiori), areas always dedicated to agriculture in general and viticulture in particular, each with unique exposures and microclimates.
The municipalities falling under the DOC are thirteen, all in the province of Salerno. They produce red, white, and rosé wines. The reds and rosés are made from piedirosso and/or sciascinoso (also known as olivella) and aglianico, with a minimum percentage of 60%, plus other authorized varieties up to a maximum of 40%. The white wines are made from falanghina grapes, locally known as bianca zita (not less than 40%), and biancolella, also known as bianca tenera (at least 20%), plus other non-aromatic local grapes from the province of Salerno (maximum 40%).
The maximum permitted yield per hectare is 110 quintals for rosé and red wines and 120 quintals for white wines; the quantities are reduced in the subzones (90 and 100 quintals, respectively), with an alcohol content that goes from 10° to 10.5° for whites and from 11° to 11.5° for reds, all to the benefit of quality in the subzone wines.
The best wines of the Amalfi Coast
While awaiting the results of the ongoing tastings for the new Gambero Rosso Italian Wines Guide 2025, here are the Amalfi Coast wines that received Tre Bicchieri, Due Bicchieri Rossi, and Due Bicchieri during last year's blind tastings.
The Selva delle Monache 2022 by Ettore Sammarco is a typical Mediterranean white wine. Broad and fragrant with hints of lemon leaf and citrus, white peach, linden flowers, and fresh aromatic herbs, it boasts a sweet, salty, and long-lasting palate that becomes tapered in the long and elegant finish. Great class and finesse are also evident in the Vigna Grotta Piana 2022: spicy, with notes of Mediterranean scrub and aromatic herbs, iodized and slightly smoky, it offers a juicy and rich mouthfeel reminiscent of citrus peel. The most well-known company in Ravello is named after its founder, Ettore Sammarco, who in 1962 decided to create his own brand to process and market the raw materials from the vineyard in Castiglione. Today, the company can also rely on a loyal group of suppliers: Bartolo, Ettore's son, focuses on enhancing this heritage by creating Mediterranean-style wines made exclusively from native grapes.
- Costa d'Amalfi Ravello Bianco Selva delle Monache 2022 - Ettore Sammarco
- Costa d'Amalfi Ravello Bianco V. Grotta Piana 2022 - Ettore Sammarco
- Costa d'Amalfi Bianco Terre Saracene 2022 - Ettore Sammarco
- Costa d'Amalfi Rosato Terre Saracene 2022 - Ettore Sammarco
Per Eva 2020 from Tenuta San Francesco is a white wine from the Amalfi Coast made from a blend of falanghina, ginestra, and pepella grapes. The Tramonti Rosso '20 has aromas of medicinal herbs and blueberries, cinchona and dried orange; on the palate, it offers slightly bitter sensations without ever being overbearing. The Tramonti Bianco '22 is also good, with citrus and herbal notes.
The Tramonti subzone is a challenging and rugged area for viticulture, but the four founding partners of the company - Vincenzo D'Avino, Luigi Giordano, Gaetano, and Generoso Bove - have taken up the challenge of managing 14 hectares of vineyards divided into various plots. This small ampelographic treasure has allowed the company to become a reference point on the Amalfi Coast, offering a focused interpretation of difficult-to-manage varieties such as pepella, ginestra, biancazita, biancatenera, aglianico, piedirosso, and tintorea. Pear and white peach, spices, white pepper, delicate aromatic herbs, and a lot of sea: this is the aromatic profile that leads to an elegant and tense mouthfeel with astonishing sapidity.
- Costa d'Amalfi Bianco Per Eva 2021 - Tenuta San Francesco
- Costa d'Amalfi Tramonti Bianco 2022 - Tenuta San Francesco
- Costa d'Amalfi Tramonti Rosso 2020 - Tenuta San Francesco
The Fiorduva by Marisa Cuomo in the 2022 version presents the usual warm aromatic profile of yellow spices, candied lemons, citron, basil, and white honey. It is sunny even on the palate, rich in fruit, soft and enveloping, refreshed by summery citrus sensations. The Furore Bianco '22 recalls the rock, coriander, lemon zest, and Mediterranean herbs: it doesn't play the complexity game but focuses on freshness and drinkability. The same scheme applies to the Ravello Bianco '22, expressive and very acidic. The Furore Rosso Riserva '20 is also good.
Talking about the heartbreaking beauty of the terraced slopes cultivated with pergolas overlooking the Amalfi Coast requires the use of the term "heroic viticulture." This also describes the work of Marisa Cuomo and Andrea Ferraioli, supported by their children Dora and Raffaele. The 18 hectares overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea are the cradle of native varieties: piedirosso and sciascinoso for the reds, ripoli, fenile, and ginestra for the whites, which, among other things, give life to the company's flagship wine.
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