TRE BICCHIERI 2023, THE NEW ENTRIES: THE STORY OF GIUSEPPE FORTUNATO AND CONTRADA SALANDRA

Giuseppe Fortunato is the soul of Contrada Salandra , a Pozzuoli based winery, with the Campi Flegrei Falanghina 2020, he won the Tre Bicchieri award for the first time.

There aren’t many hectares of vineyards, about five, but perhaps it’s precisely because of this that the bottles of Contrada Salandra easily convey a soul, a well-defined identity, a trait that indissolubly connects the winemaker and the land. The bottles speak clearly: we are dealing with a sensitive interpreter of the moods of his vineyard, capable of giving us real gems. Just taste the 2020 Falanghina, awarded Tre Bicchieri in Vini d’Italia 2023, to understand: the Campi Flegrei make themselves heard in the pyroclastic, smoky breath that emerges amidst notes of mown grass, pollen, and broom. The mouthfeel is incredible in definition, flavor, and texture. A soft mineral background drives the sip towards a long and vibrant finish: “I noticed over time that Falanghina expresses its varietal best after a year, a year and a half. I took a risk keeping it in the cellar initially, but it seems to work.”

Regarding the 2020 vintage, Giuseppe comments: “The year offered us an excellent version of Falanghina, and we are proud that Gambero Rosso also noticed it. We didn’t expect it: we’ve reached the finals several times before, but winning the award was really unexpected. However, we also saw that the wine received widespread acclaim: so perhaps it was indeed the right time.”

The future? “For now, I don’t have any barrels in the winery; I would like to try using large barrels to overcome some issues with piedirosso. We have expanded the cellar a bit and made some more space: we’ll see. Additionally, I am trying to become self-sufficient in terms of electricity usage with a photovoltaic panel system. I am continuously searching for new parcels not so much to increase my production but to safeguard the territory. Lastly, I am trying to establish a pruning school for the area, to share the knowledge I have accumulated over time.”