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Born during the period of colonisation of Southern Italy by the Greeks, Falanghina is today one of the best known and most appreciated Campania white wines.
This wine is distinguished by its delicate organoleptic profile and suave minerality, making it the ideal accompaniment for fish dishes. Its extraordinary versatility, however, allows it to adapt to many other recipes, which is why it is an excellent wine to keep in the cellar, especially for summer dinners.
Here is a guide to Falanghina, its characteristics and pairing tips!
Freshness and versatility: the characteristics of Falanghina wine
Campi Flegrei, Beneventano and Costa d'Amalfi: these are the three main areas that provide the backdrop to the cultivation of Falanghina, whose indigenous vines draw everything they need from the terroir of these areas to grow luxuriantly and offer consumers DOCs of great value.
The plants particularly appreciate the hilly soils composed of clay and sandstone, and good drainage capacity, as well as the hot and dry temperatures of the region. In the Sannio area, on the other hand, one can find more aromatic declinations and greater flavour, caused by the cooler temperatures.
In spite of the robust and lush nature of the vine, the focus is on quality of yield rather than quantity in order to amplify the expressive power of its wines.
Another important element is the volcanic nature of the soils that make up much of Campania, a characteristic that is reflected in the organoleptic notes of this Italian white wine, giving rise to clearly perceptible mineral hints. What also distinguishes this dry wine is its deep straw yellow colour - with slight greenish highlights - the delicate notes of fresh fruit and flowers, as well as a fresh and discreetly acidic taste, making Falanghina a lively wine, perfect to enjoy young.
There are, however, other declinations of this wine, such as sparkling - obtained by the Charmat method - and raisin wine. In the first case we are faced with a product that largely recovers the olfactory and gustatory scents of the dry version, but adds to the experience delicate yeast aromas and a fine perlage with good persistence.
The Falanghina passito, on the other hand, is recognisable by a colour tending towards golden and a full and passionate olfactory profile. Primary aromas include notes of honey, candied fruit and jam, while the taste is sweet and persistent, with a soft texture that pampers the palate.
Falanghina wine and food pairings: what to eat with this Campania white wine
If from an organoleptic point of view it is the freshness and minerality that stand out the most, among the main traits of this wine there is also an extraordinary versatility, which allows it to go well with many recipes, especially those typical of Mediterranean cuisine. Here's what to pair with Falanghina, from start to finish!
Aperitifs and starters
Fresh and lively, Falanghina is perfectly suited to summer aperitifs, even better if organised outdoors, in the garden or on the terrace. It takes little to please everyone's palate with this wine, which makes for splendid pairings with the typical dishes of these convivial occasions or with appetisers of various kinds.
A 'Collection' Falanghina Campania IGT can be paired, for example, with a rich board of fresh or soft cheeses, to be spread on bread or crostini. Goats' cheeses, characterised by intense flavours, are particularly recommended.
This wine is also an ideal companion for fried finger food, shrimp cocktails, the classic pizzette or preparations with tomatoes and mozzarella, especially the buffalo mozzarella from Campania, its compatriot. A Falanghina del Sannio DOP Brut is also extraordinary for this purpose.
First courses and Falanghina
A great lover of Mediterranean dishes, Campania's Falanghina is an apt choice when savoury first courses are served on the table, whether fish or vegetable-based. Between these two choices, however, it has a soft spot for seafood flavours, declined in an infinity of different recipes.
The acidity and minerality of this wine, especially in its dry version, is just what is needed to support the brackish and intense flavours of fish sauces, from which to cleanse the palate sip after sip. Paccheri with seafood ragout au gratin, spaghetti allo scoglio, rigatoni with octopus, risotto with scampi, calamarata, a fragrant pasta alla norma: all this - and more - represents the wide range of pairings with Falanghina wine.
Noteworthy, finally, is its ability to adapt also to Neapolitan pizza, not a first course in the strict sense of the word, but a timeless comfort food that needs the right labels to be paired correctly with wine, rather than the more inflated mug of beer.
Main courses and white wine
Among summer recipes with Falanghina, there is obviously no shortage of main courses of land or sea. In the first case, the best recipes to enjoy with this wine are those with white meat, with flavours that are not too intense, such as baked or grilled chicken, accompanied by mixed vegetables or potatoes.
Again, among the best dishes for Falanghina wine, fish dishes stand out. Excellent for seafood barbecues with friends, based on slices of fish, shellfish or crustaceans, Falanghina also appreciates rich mixed fried dishes or baked fish recipes, perhaps enriched with full-bodied tomato sauces, classic grilled slices of tuna or salmon - or baked in the oven, in a pistachio crust - or a tasty dish of stuffed squid.
Sweet and raisin wine
As a fitting conclusion to this guide - as well as to a summer menu - the time has come to call upon the end-of-meal version of this excellent Campania white.
Falanghina Passito is the right choice when there is still a little place in your stomach that only a good dessert can fill and satisfy.
It is worth uncorking it as an accompaniment to recipes with a rustic soul, such as a classic apple pie, a peach upside-down or a fruit tart, to which it marries beautifully thanks to its organoleptic notes of candied fruit and jam.
Not bad either is the combination with dry pastries, such as various types of biscuits (Tuscan cantucci are an excellent example) and nougats, but also to organise a sophisticated tasting with very tasty mature cheeses.
Your palate will be grateful!
A few historical notes on Falanghina wine
There are no official records of the exact period when Falanghina first appeared in Campania. However, scholars are fairly unanimous in stating that the vine landed in Southern Italy during the colonisation of the latter by the Greeks, an area that took the name Magna Graecia. The name in fact derives from the Greek word falangos, which refers to the special poles used to support the plants during cultivation.
The fact that it is mentioned in Pliny the Elder's texts confirms the fact that Falanghina cultivation continued in Roman times, but it is necessary to wait until 1804 to find a proper botanical description of the plant, with a series of authors who contributed to knowledge of the vine with increasingly precise notes, as well as its vinification.
After a long period of intensive cultivation - in order to amplify the plant's yield - production methods changed towards the end of the 20th century to focus increasingly on the quality of Falanghina wines, thus transforming them into a product of great prestige for Campania's wine-making tradition.
Falanghina wine has no more secrets for you: continue your discovery of great Italian and international wines by exploring the vast Giordano Vini catalogue!