Consistent with our mission as ambassadors of the indigenous vines of Caserta around the world, we have created this page aimed at the dissemination of culture on these indigenous vines. On this page you will discover the history of Pallagrello, Casavecchia and Coda di Pecora of which we are the only producers.

Pallagrello is one of the few vines in the world that has both the black berry clone (Pallagrello Nero) and the white berry clone (Pallagrello Bianco). The name of the vine derives from the formological characteristic of the grapes of the bunch. In the local dialect, in fact, “pallarello” means “little sphere”, with reference to the grapes of the bunch, which have a small and round shape.

Originating in the locality of “Monticello” in the municipality of Piedimonte Matese, there are numerous historical findings, which according to some even refer to the Roman Pilleolata. Famous until the end of the nineteenth century, one of the favorite wines of the Bourbons was drawn from it. These, who held it in high esteem, offered it as a valuable gift to their guests and included it, with the name of “Piedimonte Rosso” (from the Matese foothills, mountains in north Campania), among the wines on the wine lists of royal families preferred instead of french wines. The powdery mildew and phylloxera infestations of the early twentieth century decreed a rapid disappearance and a substantial oblivion despite the undoubted ampelographic qualities.

Our winery has the ambition to bring this noble grape back to the royal fame of the past, from which we produce the “Verginiano” Pallagrello Bianco and the Pallagrello Nero.

The Casavecchia vine has little-known origins and for this reason it is really very interesting to discover its origins.

A legend handed down among the peasants traces its discovery back to an old ruin known as “an old house (casa vecchia)”. There, at the beginning of the 1900s, an old stump surviving the powdery mildew and phylloxera epidemics of the 19th century was found, the progenitor of today’s Casavecchia grape. Being unproductive, it naturally pushes towards high quality products. It gives a vigorous, complex and predisposed wine for aging, especially if aged in wood.

Registered among the indigenous vines of Caserta very recently (2002), our winery has decided to produce it alone both in the “Lautonis” steel version and in the version called “Montemaggiore” with passage in tonneau for 18 months, given the particular predisposition for aging in wood.

The Coda di Pecora vine, not to be confused with the Coda di Volpe, is the vine that makes us even more proud of our adventure. In fact, we are the only wine producers who market this variety in purity.

Its name also derives here from the shape of the bunch which resembles the sheep’s tail (coda di pecora), as an appellation given by the indigenous peasants who cultivated it. After many years of confusion between Coda di Pecora and Coda di Volpe, in 2005 we performed the DNA examination that certifies its authenticity and started the process for registration among the vines officially recognized by the Ministry. Precisely because this procedure has not been completed, the name of the grape cannot appear on the label and the wine itself for its name had to veer towards English, Sheep.

Its history, partially rediscovered after years of study, dates back to a first quotation published by an old writer expert in agriculture in 1875 which cites him in his works on viticulture in Campania. But various scholars agree that its origins date back to the times of Magna Grecia. Regarding its peculiarities, we report a review that made us particularly pleased: “A wine that bursts into the glass like one of the greatest whites in the world. The bouquet is a triumph of flowers that intoxicates as in the middle of spring. In the mouth it stuns its aromatic power: very savory and a pinch of mineral, in the finish it offers ripe fruit with white flesh. Wine to drink voluptuously, with full joy. “