Capri: the territory
The island of Capri is known for its great beauty, for the VIPs holidays and for its history, but few know it for its wine, however, of good quality even if not in excellence. The great history of the island tells us that with Ischia, it was probably the first Greek colony in Italy, if not in all the Mediterranean basin. Archaeologists have come to this hypothesis after having found the Nestor’s Cup in Ischia.
The island of Capri has a different orogenesis from the other islands in the area of the Gulf of Naples that were born from an emergence of the seabed. Capri instead was once part of the Sorrento Peninsula, of karst origin, from which it then separated by submerging a part of the territory. So we have a detailed profile, which sees the territory reach up to 450 meters above sea level with regard to the peaks. There are also numerous plateaus.
A particularity of the island of Capri is the total water dependence with the mainland, as there are no sources of drinking water, and the island depends totally on this from the mainland. Of course we all know the climate of the island, classic of Italian sea, warm throughout the year, with the advantage of excellent ventilation thanks to the sea that surrounds it.
In the past it was precisely these characteristics that made the island love all the peoples who colonized it, the Greeks and Romans, who already began that trend which today sees Capri as an island for VIPs. Even in ancient times, Capri was transformed with the construction of villas for Roman emperors and senators. These were set on the rocky and indented coast, with the beautiful coves and caves that make it one of the pearls of the Mediterranean.
Today these villas, although in ruins, represent an important testimony of the Roman presence, but also of the wine that was to be produced to serve these wealthy nobles and politicians, which today is expressed with the establishment of the denomination Capri DOC.
Red grapes
Piedirosso is the main grape in the production of red Capri. It is an autochthonous grape from Campania, which in the region is the most cultivated. It is called in dialect Per ‘e palummo, a term that has the same meaning as the Italian name (the foot of the pigeon). This characteristic is due to the particular shape and color of the rachis, quite similar to the legs of the pigeons.
It is a type of vine that lends itself well to the island’s conditions, thanks to its vigor, but also to medium-low productions, once sufficient for domestic consumption, even if today markets demand higher productions. It is bred with expanded forms, which allow to slightly increase the productions. Its maturation takes place only during the first twenty days of October, and despite being late with a high sugar concentration, and therefore alcoholic, has a good total acidity.
The wine
The Piedirosso wine, the main component of the Capri DOC, is influenced by the production area and reveals different results. The type of vinification and maturation also influence, so you can have both strong wines and wines with a lighter color and lighter aromas. This is the case on the island of Capri, where lighter vinifications are made, generally but not exclusively. In reality initially the wine has a very dark color, a heavy blue or purple. Aging then makes the color unload. When the wine is young, the main aromas are herbaceous, as well as fragrances of flowers and fruits. Aging instead adds complexity, especially when wood is used. Here also spicy fragrances, tar and vanilla become part of the olfactory range. The tastes follow the same trend, with young wines that are distinguished by structure, and the aged instead are soft and
vanilla, spices and tar, while for what concerns the taste, younger wines are distinguished by a more structured flavor, while after aging and aging in cask they tend to acquire softness and balance.
The denomination Capri DOC red
The denomination of controlled origin Capri DOC was born on 7 September 1977 and regulated the production of white and red wines, with the vinification operations carried out on the island of Capri which is part of the province of Naples. As mentioned, the primary grape for these red vinification is Piedirosso for which the specification provides for a presence of at least 80% to be cut with other grapes authorized in the same province. As always, the specification also provides for maximum yields, which are set at a maximum of 12.00 tons per hectare. The whole province of Naples may be interested in winemaking, while clearly the grapes must be grown on the island. The minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume is 11.00% vol. the wines as described previously can vary in color, but still they are always dry and quite sapid due to sea winds. You can combine with light meat dishes, such as white ones, or soups, even fish.
Some producers
Given the very small area of the island there are few wines to choose from. For example, there is the Tiberio farm, named because an emperor of Rome who retired to the island in a splendid villa. It exploits the limestone nature of the vineyards up to 400 meters of altitude, to produce its red wine, perfumed with red fruit of the forest, very soft in taste, to drink at 18 ° C.
Then there is Scala Fenicia which produces organic wines, or Terra Mitica with a wine that meets the general characteristics of Capri. Finally, the Brunetti brothers, with a great dry ruby wine, excellent with pasta with sauce, roasts or slightly spicy cheeses.
