Wines from Villa Matilde

History

Villa Matilde began in the 1960s with Francesco Paolo Avallone, a lawyer who loved wine and wanted to bring back the Falerno of ancient Rome. The land belongs to the area the Romans called Ager Falernus, a name tied to some of the best known wines of the classical world. The revival of the wine itself took shape in the 1970s, in vineyards on the slopes of Mount Roccamonfina.

Today the winery is run by his son Salvatore and his daughter Maria Ida. The family has grown beyond the home estate: in 2000 they added Tenuta Rocca dei Leoni near Benevento, and in 2004 they started a vineyard project in the Irpinia district.

The land and the vineyards

The home vineyards sit in the Falerno area of Campania, on the slopes of Mount Roccamonfina. The winery plants its vines at a density of about 5,000 per hectare, which keeps the yield of each vine modest. Local grapes are the centre of the work: Falanghina, Aglianico and Piedirosso.

The wines

The best known label is Falerno del Massico, which the winery says comes from a local biotype of Falanghina, a vine the family has worked with since the revival began. Caracci is a white made from Falanghina. Camarato is a red built on Aglianico with a smaller share of Piedirosso.

Today

Villa Matilde is still a family business, with the second generation at its head. Its wines now come from three areas of Campania: the Falerno coast, the hills around Benevento and Irpinia. For anyone curious about how an ancient name was rebuilt into a modern wine, it is a clear and honest place to start.

Founded

1960s

Main grapes

Falanghina, Aglianico, Piedirosso

Owners

Avallone family