The Campania wine region is a geographically complex area south of Rome, leading inland from the Amalfi Coast and the Bay of Naples towards Mount Vesuvius then beyond, rising to a plateau upon which the Irpinia sub-region is located at around 600m above sea level.

Campania accounts for just 3.3% of Italy’s vineyards, with 29,000ha of vines planted, yet the region has an extraordinary history of winemaking. Ancient Greek settlers bought vines to Italy when they began populating the south of the country in the 8th century BC. The Romans later embraced this vinous culture, and it was Falernian – from Campania’s modern-day Falerno del Massico DOC – that was their most prized wine.

Today, Campania is a hotbed of indigenous varieties. The region’s three DOCGs are all clustered together inland in Irpinia: the Taurasi DOCG produces some excellent reds made from Aglianico, while the Greco di Tufo and Fiano di Avellino DOCGs just west of Taurasi produces some of the region’s finest white wines.