Description
Luigi Maffini, Cilento Fiano “Kratos”
The Fiano grape variety, grown most famously in the hills around Avellino, in Italy’s Campania region, has emerged as one of the “noblest” native whites on the peninsula. Some writers, including author Ian D’Agata, take it a step further: “I think Fiano may well be Italy’s greatest native white grape,” he writes in his book, Native Wine Grapes of Italy (UC Press; 2014). “Only Verdicchio can lay a similar claim to the title.” We agree, especially after tasting the latest release from Luigi Maffini, whose winery is headquartered well south of Avellino, along the sun-drenched Cilento coast. This area, an unspoiled landscape within a UNESCO-recognized national park, is like Amalfi without the crowds; in this coastal terroir, the aromatic Fiano variety gains a richer, more honeyed texture without losing its freshness.
Campania is Italy’s ancient cradle of viticulture, the place the Greeks named oenotria and where Roman-era chroniclers like Columella and Pliny the Elder first cataloged the best-performing wine grapes in the region. The Maffini vineyards and winery overlook the Gulf of Salento on the south Campanian coast, not far from the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Paestum. Soils are described as a “post volcanic” mix of clay and limestone called flysch. The Maffini family’s first vines were planted in Cilento in the 1970s, but the winery/brand dates to 1996, when namesake Luigi Maffini began bottling wines from native varieties—focusing on the white Fiano and red Aglianico. He and his wife, Raffaela, have grown the estate to 15 hectares, with vineyards occupying both coastal and hillside sites and sharing space with spectacular olive groves and Mediterranean vegetation. Farming is Certified Organic.
Two vineyard sources provide the Fiano for “Kratos”: One which overlooks the sea in Castell’abate, and the other, at about 350 meters of elevation, in Giugnano—near the Paestum archeological site. Fermentation is carried out with only ambient yeasts in stainless steel tanks, followed by about four months of tank aging before bottling. The wine carries a “Cilento” DOP designation. Shining a deep straw-gold in the glass, this is an aromatic white with notes of orange blossom, apricot, yellow citrus, wildflower honey, wild herbs, and a hint of sea spray. It is medium-plus in body, with some pleasing viscosity to the texture and a crisp, refreshing finish. Given both its flavor profile and place of origin, rich seafood stews (whatever version of zuppa di pesce you prefer) are an ideal pairing.
