It may be January, but I just experienced Christmas! I received a massive delivery of Italian wine from Terlato Wines, which basically filled up my wine cooler and then some–so you’ll see me diving into an Italian series for a while 😉

The first bottle I pulled out was a 2017 Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina. Feudi di San Gregorio was established in 1986 in Sorbo Serpico, a tiny village in Campania’s Irpinia region, near Mount Vesuvius. The mineral-rich volcanic soil gives wines a distinct quality. Fun fact–I traveled to Pompeii in 2011, which was destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. It’s eerie, but oh so cool.

This winery likes to place a modern spin on tradition and focus on native and ancient varietals. The wine I tried was 100% Falanghina (fah-lahn-GEE-nah), which was named after the method of vine cultivation in Sannio at the end of the Roman Era using Falangs (“poles”). It’s aged for about 5 months in stainless steel tanks in contact with its lees. I was excited to taste because I had never tried this varietal before.

The wine was straw yellow in color and had a fresh and zesty nose. It tasted crisp and dry, and had a nice minerality, with notes of tropical fruits, tart green apple, and orange. My husband, who doesn’t really drink, had a glass and enjoyed it, so I would say that Sauvignon Blanc drinkers would find comfort in this wine. It was the perfect sipper for a shrimp pasta dinner. You can find it at Total Wine for $18.99. Cheers!