June 19th-Biancolella and Forastera

Biancolella and Forastera are white grapes that originate in the Campania region of southern Italy. Both grapes are also found on the island of Ischia. Ischia is a volcanic island in the Gulf of Naples that has an extensive history of viticulture. It is believed that the ancient Greeks viticulture in the 8th century. Wine production waxed and waned for over the next 1100 years. In 1855, vines were under threat by white rot, bringing the island to the brink of losing their indigenous grapes. Then three brothers arrived with a boat load of sulfur from Salina, a neighboring volcanic island to apply to the vines. Growers hesitantly applied the sulfur to their vines, held their breath, prayed, and waited until the following vintage to see how the vines would respond. To their greatest relief, the vines came back perfectly healthy. Sadly, the story goes, the island did not show their gratitude to the brothers by sharing their profits. One of the brothers died on the island and two went home with nothing to show for their contribution. Ischia earned DOC status in 1966. 

While on my trip to Alba, Italy, I tried a 2022 Cenatiempo Lefkos from Ischia DOC. This wine was a blend of 90% Biancolella and Forastera with the remaining 10% being listed as other native grapes. This wine was a medium yellow in color. It had bright aromas of tropical fruit,  saline and fresh herbs. I shared this bottle with some others and we all paired it with gnocchi that had a shrimp and parmesan butter sauce. This wine was fuller bodied than we anticipated but the weight of it matched the dinner while the acidity helped cut the richness of the sauce. The saline notes matched those in the dish. The tropical fruit notes were a bright compliment to the meal and paired well with the concentrated shrimp in the gnocchi. We were all pleasantly surprised by this bottle because prior to ordering it, none of us were familiar with the region or the grape varieties. For a random white wine picked from an extensive wine list, this wine was a refreshing change of pace after a long day of tasting Barolo.