Introduction

By Paul Caputo

A wine maker once told me that this was the most dangerous place on earth. With the Phlegraean Fields, or Campi Flegrei, sitting aloft a smouldering cauldron of magma, it is little wonder. We all know the history of Pompeii and Herculaneum; Vesuvius is an active volcano.

Like many wine regions in the South of Italy, Campi Flegrei is rich in ancient history but as is also fairly typical, up until just a few years ago, the wines have been largely uninteresting.

Throughout the 80s, 90s and early 00s, wines from Campi Flegrei were best described as pizzeria wines, but in the age of cheaper technology, formal viticultural educations and flying consultants, producers have learned how to maximise the effects of local characteristics better than ever before and this is an area undoubtedly benefiting.