Ep. 1050 Map 31 Southern Italy | Jumbo Shrimp Maps

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This has been a journey of development since Stevie Kim discovered Rosie Baker's hand drawn maps on Instagram through two years of work by our in house editorial and graphics team, and now the maps are available to purchase in beta form while they undergo the final briefing and editing by our expert advisory board. It's a three layered project because we know everyone learns differently. We now offer the complete box set of thirty nine maps. This series of podcasts with the maps narrated by our crack team of wine educators. And finally, the study guide book, which will be published later this year. Our map project is in no way a substitute for the materials set out by other educational organizations, but we hope all the wine students out there will find our map project a new exciting and useful tool for learning. For more information and to buy the maps, please visit our website at mama jumbo shrimp dot com. Welcome to the jumbo shrimp wine study maps podcast. In this episode, you'll be looking at the Southern Italy map. Traveling south on the peninsula, we follow the continuation of the Appenine mountain range down the middle of the boot all the way to the toe of Calabria. In this hot climate, we feel more Mediterranean on the coasts, changing to continental moving inland, where the increase in altitude equals relief from heat and adds good aspects, well draining soils of varying compositions, including volcanic basalt and Tufa in parts of Compania, Vasilicata, and Sicily. Much of Southern Italy sees little rainfall, and summers bring the potential for Morocco, the hot sahara winds from the south. The climate and geography, as well as the economics of many in the region, have informed the choices of plantings and vine training. One of the old traditional vine training methods is that bush vine or Albrello. Here, each vine is a single trunk, usually self supported, pruned low to the ground, and with the leaves allowed to grow into a large canopy of shade. Common for old vines that do not need trello support or regions where mechanical viticulture is not possible, and for keeping the bunches low to the ground for extra heat or to protect from the wind. Many of these vineyards weren't replanted to more modern systems or more popular grapes because of the cost. In more modern vine trellis, getting favor in regions like Pulia, with large wine farms, is the cordon system. Here the Vine arm is trained along a cable, and the shoots grow up into a wire trellis support every season. This makes for easier pruning, canopy management, and harvesting. There are many variations based on the needs of the Vine and of the winery. Occasionally, you will find a type of pergola called a Tanecchia. It's a much larger trellis found on the interior Capania for old vines like Alianico, some the size of trees, where the sandy and or volcanic soil was never invaded by phylloxera. These heritage vines are a connection to the past when Alianico is the most important grape in Europe. Alianico is the most prestigious red grape of southern Italy and is often called the barolo of the south. The wines are deep in color, with high acidity and tans, black fruits often spicy and floral. Best of matured and oak, it's a less aromatic grape when young, so it needs aging to develop the tertiary earthy and forest floor notes. Aljanico prefers volcanic or calcareous soils in a long growing season to fully ripen. Wordbail fermentation and or aging help smooth its notoriously firm tenons. The Taurasi DOCG is the most well known. An interior town away from the coast, the coastal range and Mount Vasuvius block warm from the sea. So here is a more continental climate. The wines must be eighty five percent Alianico. PD Rosa is the red grape most often blended in to soften the wine. And require three years of aging, including one wood. The wines have fine tenons and high acid and the intensity of dark black fruit often attributed to the Taurasi Allianical clone, which has the smallest berries of the three VOCG areas. And as for its historic fame? Well, as Europe began the decades long grafting and replanting of vines to solve the phylloxera plague of late nineteenth into the early twentieth century, to train cars of Alianico filled the red wine needs of the masses in almost the nineteen thirties. And nearly every train left from the station in Tarazi. Taborno is the other DOCG for Aljanico in Compania, and it's noted for its counterbalance of dark ripe fruit with an Italian amaro quality, floral and spicy, but nearing bitter and pungent. Campagne is home to the most EOCGs of any region of the south and has reputation for quality wine going back to Roman times. They terrace the steep hills of ischia Island, prise the falernum wines of what is modern day Caserta just north of Naples, and may have favored those two white grapes that are now DOCG, Greco, and Feano. Greco, named from the Greek, or of Greek origin, gives high alcohol, eye acid, along with its honey, green, yellow, apple, and stone fruit flavors, and sometimes resume floral character. Mainly prevented in stainless steel, some producers choose to use older oak barrels and certainly to enhance Greco's phenolic texture. Around the village of Tufo, just northwest of Tarazi, It does best. Bringing more elegance than weight, but well made wines can easily age adding honey and mushroom notes as they mature. Going to the little town of Lapio in Adolino, we may be in the origin area of the fiano grape. Just east of the Tarazzy zone in south of Tufo. This is another of Italy's best white wines. The temperate high elevation vineyards with layers of volcanic ash and clay lead to winds of medium to full body and acidity. Ripe stone, even tropical fruits like melon and mango are its flavors, and his distinct toasted hazelnut character can be very floral and sometimes even smoky. Usually, drunk young, the elevated styles of matured and oak can age like good reds, developing a distinct, waxy honey character, The grape was rescued from extinction in the nineteen seventies by the local Masterovaradino family until thirty bottles from the few remaining vines were made in nineteen forty five. Why was it almost forgotten? Well, because Piano has thick skins, is late to ripen, sedentary diseases, and especially because it gives low yields, not exactly a farmer's friend. Going just south of basilicata, we enter a surprisingly extreme mountainous land where snows still top the apennine peaks that reach nine hundred meters above sea level. Alianico Del Voutre is the main one here, grown on and around this extinct volcano with ridgens that really do look like a Bulcher's wings and profile. The Alianico wines are the most intense of the DOC genes with smoky floral notes, sour cherry, and plum, and spicy flavors. The grape skin does contain ethyl cinnamate, which is the cinnamon aroma ester, and its fruity nose comes from the same compound we recognize as strawberry. Italian wine podcast, part of the mama jumbo shrimp family. East into Pulia, we reach the number two wine producing region, the which only has four DOCGs. About seventy percent of its production is just Vino, and the flat plains of this peninsula have been the home of vast hectares of the Italian food trinity. Wheat fields, olive groves, and red wine grapes. Hot, dry, and sunny. The light always seems a little more intense here, but wind from the adriatic and ion seas bring cooling breezes to moderate the heat. The wine business is mostly co ops in large farms. Only seven percent of the wine is DOP, but a recent surge of quality producers and investment involving the better wines has brought Pulea some international recognition. The southern tip of the Cilento Peninsula is home for Negromaro, which means black black from both the Italian and Greek. It has stable color through fermentation. It's resistant to drought and disease, gives large yields and keeps its acid in the heat. Megro moro wines are medium to full bodied with black fruit and aromas of tobacco and real herbs. It also produces lovely full bodied dark pink rosato wines, One of which was the first Italian Rosado ever bottle and exported just after World War two. The red partner grape of the area is Primativo, which nineteen eighties DNA analysis, by an American wine professor, proved to be the Zinfandel grape, named in the local dialect for its tendency to ripen early, Pivotivo grapes also ripen unevenly on the bunch. So green berries could be harvested with ripe grapes and overripe raisins. High vigor vines give high sugar grapes. But they are susceptible to some major diseases and hard to identify in the winery. However, when well made, the wines are jammy with fruit, spicy to the point of hinting at cocoa, and often of high enough alcohol to be considered and meditation wines. More investment has often coincided with the use of heavy bottles and elaborate labels to give the impression of quality to the tow we go to Calabrio, a hot human rugged region that has seen less investment in modernizing its wine industry which has retained many native grape varieties because there was historically no money to replant. Ninety percent of the production is red wine, and the most recognized grape is Galiapo, which means beautiful foot in Greek. You have to love the diversity of Italian wine grapes. Galleopo is now known to be attended from San Giovanni, and it gives wines that are dry, high in acid, and medium bodied with raspberry, red, current, and often pomegranate flavors. Usually high, but rustic confirmed tannins. So the more modern method is to use stainless steel for fermentation and even aging rather than layer on extra cannons from wood barrels. Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean is also hot, dry, and rugged. Its southern shores are equal to the northern tip of Africa, and the capital Polermo is yearly the country's hottest city. The saving aspect for grapes is that most of it is elevated well above the sea, giving large diurnal swings in temperature and access to cooling breezes from the coasts. For many years, a land of bulk lime, from ships full of Marcella for British export, to the Metidria system, and into large modern day co ops. Sicily is a land planted mostly with native grapes adapted to the climate over the ammonia, like Catoratto and Narodabla, all bottled under the island wide IGT Teradi Cicilia for blends or Cichelia duck for varietal wine. Many recent investments have been with international varieties for the export market. But, surprisingly, some of those, especially, Shardon and Sarah, continue to win critical awards and command high prices. Those do investments have also been a narrow dabala, leading to several high quality and important bottlings of this unique grape. Neadabla loves the heat and is resistant to drought. Pretty important on Sicily medium to full body with medium juicy acidity and tendons that are rarely harsh. Narrow is often beenified in a fruity style for early consumption, highlighting its brambly, berry, black cherry, and plum flavors. But it can be concentrated and complex wines by the best producers who limit yields and identify with oak. The newest region of interest is the highest slope vineyard area on La Montana, Mount Petna. Like old things that come back in a fashion, Aetna Doc was established in nineteen sixty eight when there were only three wineries present. But in nineteen hundred, the area grew almost as many grapes as the whole of Sicily today. Now the nearly three hundred producers are showing Italy and the world the magic of red grapes, Rello Maskuleze, and its plumbing partner, Rello Capucio, farming old bush vines from three hundred to nearly one thousand meters above sea level on the side of an active volcano is not easy. The best wines are light in color, but a huge in aroma and flavors of tart red fruits, herbs, flowers, and even tannic hints of the volcano itself. The Aetna Bianca wines in the local Caracante are often equally captivating offering explosive minerality and acidity with more subtle fruit and flower characters that reward seller aging. Sardinia is the remote island in the middle of the Mediterranean. It is often only Italian name. These Sardot people speak their own language. Only related to ancient Latin and Bask. Keep their own council and make their own wines. There are grapes that grow nowhere else, like Vernache and Ughistano, on the west, a tiny area of production from fifty plus year old vines that make a unique wine. It's oxidized for years under floor yeast, like Spanish sherry. The wines become nutty with honey, dried fruit flavors, and herbs that balance out with high acidity, definitely a wine to age. The Vermetino grape is the island signature white, and the one VOCG of Sardinia is where Vermetino de galura on the North Coast. Here, granite soils, and constant sea breezes and sun equal lines of medium, acid, and body, with notes of ripe stone fruit, melon, and mango, all filling the glass with the big expression of the grape compared to those on the mainland. Canal is the red of the island, although probably brought from Spain during the Airvenese rain. It has adapted to Sardimian soil and climate. Especially the steep schist soils around the hillsides of Yerzoo, north of Caliari. Here, ungrafted vines give a red wine full of floral red berry flavors and herbal underbrush notes. Though usually pale in color, Canalau is always rich in flavor. And often alcohol. Ending here in Sardinia, that is our tour of Southern Italy. Now you're only eight hours by ferry back to Rome. One Viacho. Thanks for listening to this episode of Italian wine podcast brought to you by Italian wine Academy, offering WSET levels one, two, and three in English. Visit our website at Italianwine Academy dot org for more information. And sign up today to start your personal adventure in global wine education right here in the heart of verona. Remember to subscribe and like Italian wine podcast and catch us on Sound Cloud, Spotify, and wherever you get your pop. 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