#newwinethisweek Week 13 – Falanghina, Campania
I have developed a real soft spot for Italian whites; they seem to have gone slightly out of fashion but I get quite excited when I see a list that includes the likes of Gavi, Verdicchio, Soave, Orvieto and Fiano. Another white Italian grape that has started grabbing my attention recently is Falanghina. The grape variety is grown close to the coast in Campania, on the volcanic soils of Vesuvius, north of Naples; and this is my choice for week 13 of #newwinethisweek.
You can certainly expect a fresh citrus tang from Falanghina and there are notes of apple, pear and a bit of herb and spice in the better examples. In fact, Falanghina is a great all-rounder that certainly won’t break the bank. I read with interest that one of the famous food matches for Falanghina in Italy is Pizza con pera, noci e rucola (pizza with pear, walnuts and rocket), however it goes very well with most pizza, any selection of seafood, and light pasta dishes; or just pop open a bottle in the afternoon and sip it while reading a book (or checking Twitter) in the garden!
You certainly won’t struggle to find a bottle on the supermarket shelves and there are plenty of recommendations under a tenner this week…
Winemakers’ Selection Falanghina del Beneventano 2012, Campania, Italy (Sainsbury’s £6.99)
Tesco Finest* Falanghina 2012, Puglia, Italy (Tesco £6.99)
Triade Fiano/Falanghina/Greco 2012, Campania, Italy (Waitrose £8.99)
Rocca Vecchia Falanghina 2012, Campania, Italy (Co-op £6.49)
Falanghina Beneventano IGT 2012, Campania, Italy (M&S £6.49)
Feudi de San Gregorio Falanghina Albente 2012, Campania, Italy (Wine & The Vine £9.50)
Janare Falanghina del Sannio 2013, Campania, Italy (The Wine Society £6.95)
Now all you have to do is buy a bottle and tell us what you think! All we ask is that you come back here during the week, give your Falanghina experience a score out of 10 and leave a tasting note in the comments section.
Where will Flanaghina end up on the #newwinethisweek leaderboard?
Posted on March 31, 2014, in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
Confessions of a Wine Geek
If I’m ever buying Italian white, which is rarely to be honest, I would tend to steer towards the staples of Trebbiano or Pinot Grigio, so this week’s NWTW’s challenge is a welcome chance to develop the knowledge.
I opted for the M & S Falanghina Benventano 2012 for £6.49. I’m constantly impressed with their diverse and sometimes obscure wine range and when they have the 25% off deal for 6 bottles or more it’s hard to beat. The little extras like displaying the latest press reviews on the shelf labels really works for me.
So, the wine is unsurprisingly lemony green in appearance with a pale rim. It has a fairly developed nose for a young wine showing grapefruit and tropical lychee scents and even a whiff of dairy-like buttery cream.
The palate isn’t quite as interesting though, and the tropical flavours give way to more vinous ones of pears and green apples. Reasonably high acidity is balanced by a fair bit of body while the length is unexpectedly long and pleasant.
It was homemade pizza night tonight in Chez Stevens and this fresh, young and zesty white went down rather well with the pepperoni and green pepper thin crust special with buttered corn on the cob on the side. A great warm up to the weekend!
A gratifying 7/10.
For a non-white lover that’s a pretty good score. So glad it’s so much fun trying new stuff!
I’ve been enjoying a bit of Falanghina this week and been impressed by the very cheap offerings from Tesco and The Wine Society:
Finest Falanghina 2012, Puglia, Italy (Tesco £4.99 usually £6.99)
Janare Falanghina del Sannio 2013, Campania, Italy (The Wine Society £6.95)
There were lots of similarities between the 2 – lots of apple and pears upfront with a good hit of citrus bite and decent cody. The Finest wine was very linear with just a hint of herbaciousness but very fresh and superb value at £4.99. The Janare had a bit more complexity, a good deal more body and a lot more staying power… all in all I think this could be the best value wine of #newwinethisweek so far. 7/10
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