Pallagrello Bianco is today’s Italian indigenous variety. It is a grape that I like a lot which has considerable minerality, nice acidity and wonderful peach and pear aromas. I first tried it during an event in the region where it grows, Campania. Apparently it is a very ancient grape and was planted their by Architect Vanvitelli in 1775. Vanvitelli was the architect of the Reggia di Caserta, Campania’s version of Versailles. It fell into disfavor after the phylloxera epidemic but has had a resurgence. It can also be made into late harvest wines because it is can be easily dried.

Alois is a winery that makes great Pallagrello. Founded in 1992, the winery has 20 hectares. Their wine called Caiati is made from Pallagrello Bianco grown on clay-calcareous soils at 280 meters above sea level. The Pallagrello bianco spends time on the lees and then in the bottle. I liked the texture of this wine a lot. It was rounded and creamier than most of the others I had tasted from this variety.

Another winery whose Pallagrello Bianco I enjoyed was called Cantina di Lisandro as well as that of the local cooperative, Viticoltori del Casavecchia. The winery was founded in 1999 and is a cooperative with 5 hectares. They are a group of 40 members who have joined their vineyards together to create these wines. Some of the vines are on their own rootstocks and are very ancient. They are located in the hilly inland part of Caserta.

Caserta is a beautiful well to do town in Campania. I liked it a lot. There are nice shopping streets such as Corso Trieste and Via Mazzini as well as beautiful cafes and bars. I visited back in 2018 and was very surprised by both the town and the wonderful wines, particularly that Pallagrello Bianco. If you haven’t tried it yet, I think you will find it an exciting new discovery.