Zagreo Roccamonfina Fiano Cacciagalli 2019 (Orange Wine)

Zagreo Fiano Cacciagalli, biodynamic wine, low sulphur Fiano, Ferment in Amphora with skin contact, complex aromas and flavours, great for cheese. Ferment in Amphora with long skin contact. Cacciagalli is a small estate making hand crafted natural wines from local varieties. They are a certified biodynamic producer and the wines have real purity. The tiny production Fiano, called Zagreo is fermented in small clay Amphora with wild yeasts and long skin contact. The wine then spends a full year maturing with the lees in the Amphora before being bottles with no fining, filtration and very little sulphite. The Fiano is taut yet full bodied with notes of smoke and hay, ripe stone fruits, minerals from the Volcanic soils and a superb rich texture. Pure Fiano, the style of this volcanic region comes through very well, a wine for Buffalo Mozzarella (of which we ate many when tasting the wines at the estate) drizzled with thick virgin olive oil, absolutely lovely.

I Cacciagalli is the name given to the area of land where Diana and Mario Basco have started their biodynamic wine estate.

The 9 hectares of vines are located in a small hamlet a couple of kilometres outside the town of Teano in the province of Caserta. The estate lies in the shadow of the inactive volcano Roccamonfina which gives rise to the complex volcanic terrain which impart such character to the wines. The volcanic soil is rich in minerals and in particular potassium and is very fertile. The surrounding woodland is full of chestnut and hazelnut trees, pine and many wild flowers and other fruits. This place is an oasis of calm where nature flourishes and here Mario and Diana live out their dream of creating high quality natural wines.Diana is an agronomist and the land has been in her family for generations, when she met passionate wine connoisseur Mario, they started their biodynamic farm and are now fully certified. They have started to ferment some of the wines in clay ovoid eggs, buried deep in the centuries old winery at their home, as well as using skin contact for the whites. The reds, are rich and elegant with long ageing potential.Cacciagalli is located in an ancient building which stretched back centuries to a time when it was the house of the noble family who owned the local land and rented it to peasants. The building houses a 500 year old cellar where Mario stores the wines once bottled. There is a true sense of nature and history at play at the beautiful estate. The wines have the finesse and style to match.