At Vinitaly this past year, I finally had the occasion to wines by two of Campania’s most famous women: Marisa Cuomo and Silvia Imparato from Montevetrano. Truth to be told, I had tasted a number of Marisa Cuomo wines at the Luca Maroni shows in New York but this was the very first time I tried the wines of Silvia Imparato.

I actually know her lovely daughter Gaia through mutual friends in Milan and had been hearing about her wines for the past 15 years. She wines using a blend of international and indigenous varieties. I tasted two vintages of her Colli di Salerno the 2007 and the 2008. The blend was 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Aglianico. The wine ages for 12-14 months in French oak and then spends six more months in the bottle before release.

The wine was a deep, rich and sensual one with good acidity and red fruit flavors. They were quite full bodied and had a nice mineral note to them as well thanks to the rich fossil soil on which they were grown. I was very impressed with the finesse of these wines and can well see why they are such a hit with the international crowd.

Marisa Cuomo on the other hand, uses only indigenous grapes. The Furore Bianco was made from 50% Biancolella and 50% Falanghina. It had great acidity despite its 13.5% alcohol content and was floral and elegant. The Furore Rose Costiera d’Amalfi was a blend of 50% Piedirosso and 50% Aglianico. The wine spent 10 hours macerating on its skins. It was a burst of raspberries and strawberries and was just divine as are all of their wines.

The Gran Furor Divina Costiera has been around since 1942 but in 1980, Andrea Ferraioli and his wife, Marisa Cuomo took it over. I’ve never been to Furore but it sounds fabulous with those picturesque terraces with ungrafted vines…I see a trip in the future.