Passion: the hidden gem of Cantine Apicella

Cantina Apicella is one of those small southern wineries that truly does excellent work!

This estate was born from the entrepreneurial spirit of Giuseppe Apicella, descendant of a family of farmers, who in 1977 decided to create a label and begin selling his 3,000 bottles of Vino Rosso Tramonti!
Nearly forty years have passed since then, and Cantina Apicella is still there, stronger than before, like a tree that grows ever more robust with time. The strength of this operation lies in the genuine values that inspire it, ensuring that quality and purity of intent which make their wines truly magnificent products.
Fifty thousand bottles, seven planted hectares of vineyard.

Some vines date back to the early 1900s and are native varieties grown ungrafted on their own rootstocks, trained in a pergola system. Piedirosso, Sciascinoso, Bianca Tenera, Bianca Zita, Ginestra, Pepella and Tintore!
Giuseppe has never been alone – alongside his vines and his wife first, and now, for some years already, also with his children Prisco, who graduated in enology and viticulture in Piemonte, and Fiorina, sommelier and administrator.

I met Prisco, whose eyes light up when he talks about their estate and above all about their land. The territory where the estate is located is a recurring theme, appearing even on their labels. Almost like a curious child, I ask him:

"Why did you choose this label?" – my question is partly the result of conversations I had heard, and also of personal taste; to my eye it could be improved and could make these excellent products more appealing, including to foreign markets. Prisco answers proudly: "Because it shows our land; we are very attached both to it and to our label. It is a map of our area painted in the 1400s by an abbot using Indian ink. Just think – our house is right there on the back!"

He has me taste a few wines, explains them, tells me about them; but I ask him to let me try something special, something you don't often come across. "Here you go!" He pulls out a bottle of Passion, Colli di Salerno I.G.T.
We are about to taste a passito made from loose bunches of Biancazita, Biancatenera, Pepella and Ripoli "left to dry in a very well-ventilated drying loft for four months, where there is no land breeze."

Color: golden, tending toward amber. Aromatically it is round and broad – on the nose immediately candied fruit, honey, raisins, Ginestra, figs, zabaglione and a hint of smokiness.
On the palate it is seductive, round, captivating and enveloping; a fine body and a tantalizing acidity; sweet but not overly so – it is truly a very pleasurable drink.
I recommend pairing it with aged cheeses; Prisco suggests trying it with the Santarosa, a sfogliatella riccia garnished with sour cherries and pastry cream!

The wines of Apicella are unique – they carry flavors and aromas of another era, the result of purity of spirit and honest old-fashioned craftsmanship. It is precisely these two factors that led someone to cultivate and work the vine here, on steep and demanding terrain, building the first wine estate in the municipality of Tramonti – where to this day, without the use of mechanical means and working exclusively with native varieties, quality reigns supreme.