Salvatore Martusciello "Otto Uve" Gragnano della Penisola Sorrentina DOC 2023

"Otto Uve" is a frizzante (slightly fizzy), floral red wine showing violets, wild strawberries and rhubarb on the nose, followed by a lightly stemmy, crunchy and medium-bodied palate with light bubbles and a medium tannin bite. Very dry and refreshing, reminiscent of a fine dry Lambrusco. Serve chilled.

Hailing from the picturesque appellation of Penisola Sorrentina, “Otto Uve” (Eight Grapes) is crafted from a blend of eight different indigenous grape varieties, the best-known being Aglianico and Piedirosso, but also including Sciascinoso, Suppezza, Castagnara, Olivella, Sauca and Surbegna. Gragnano is considered to be the quintessential red wine of Naples, celebrated in poems, folk songs and film, and it is the idyllic pairing for authentic Neapolitan pizza. The grapes are grown in very small vineyards in Lettere, a small village near Sorrento, and benefit from the Mediterranean climate and volcanic soil, resulting in grapes with exceptional flavor and character. The winemaking process involves careful selection and fermentation, followed by a brief aging period to enhance the wine's complexity.

Pozzuoli is the main city on the Phlegraean Peninsula, famous for its Campi Flegrei, the twenty four craters and volcanic structures beneath the Bay of Naples. The ancient Romans believed that the gaseous Solfatara crater was the gateway to the Underworld, the domain of Vulcan, God of Fire. The area’s sandy soil that covers the volcanic rock protected the area’s vines in the late 19th century when the disease phylloxera swept through Europe’s vineyards and decimated the grapes.

Salvatore Martusciello began working at his family’s Grotta del Sole vineyards and quickly became known for his dedication to preserving and extolling Campania’s indigenous grapes that had been almost forgotten. His dedication led to his becoming the champion of wines from the Campi Flegrei and Vesuvius. In 1991, he and his wife Gilda left his family’s estate to establish their own vineyard. Salvatore is a very hands-on winemaker and even delivers wine to customers so he can extoll the wine’s special characteristics.

The Martusciello family is said to be the “mother of the Gragnano” appellation and produce the best Gragnano available in Naples. It can be found in the most famous Neapolitan pizzerias both in Italy and abroad. Salvatore Martusciello is the only producer of Gragnano that still uses all the eight native varieties listed in the DOC.