Di Maio Norante: pioneers of organic and native wines

Pioneers of organic methods when there was still no national reference law and supporters of native vines as the highest expression of local areas. Two pillars which still sustain the Di Majo Norante company today, one of the historic realities from Molise selected by Wine Spectator for the tenth edition of Opera Wine scheduled in Verona on 19 June. “Opera Wine is a very important event for us," said Alessio Di Majo Norante during the Instagram Direct event on the official Vinitaly channel. Simply appearing together with the most important Italian wine cellars is unquestionably a great honour and recognition of our work. The event organized by Veronafiere is also very useful as regards image and the meetings that take place." The company based in Campomarino (near Campobasso) has 100 hectares of vineyards under the management of Alessio Di Majo Norante, whose production philosophy can be summarized with the slogan "New wines from ancient vines", which he explains as follows: “As regards plant species, belonging to the local area is very important. This is why we have always preferred native grapes as the offspring of a territory boasting an ancient relationship with wine-growing - we only need mention that the Samnites already produced wines thirteen centuries before Christ." One of the smallest regions in Italy together with Aosta Valley, Molise sits between Puglia, Campania and Abruzzo and for centuries has been the cradle of wine-growing thanks to native grapes such as Tintilia, Aglianico, Falanghina and Greco del Molise. “Our local area is characterized by large valleys descending towards the sea, with gentle slopes and a constant breeze," Di Majo Norante explained. “It is a very favourable habitat for vines." The chat on Vinitaly's official Instagram channel is an opportunity to outline the great grape varieties of the local area as interpreted by a historic wine cellar such as Di Majo Norante. “Tintilia is native to Molise and produces a wine with a very rich colour, agreeable and sweet, with a medium body," he explained, "while Aglianico is one of the greatest grape varieties in the South of Italy. Falanghina is actually a variety that originated with the Samnites and produces a rich, very fragrant wine with just the right degree of acidity that even allows slight ageing. Greco del Molise was also mentioned by the Latin writer Columella (famous for his De re rustica treatise, ed), who had already arranged it into what we can now correctly define as five different clones. It is a wine with an intense yellow colour and a very persistent bouquet that perfectly accompanies a great many dishes." The company became entirely organic as early as the 1970s and its flagship product is Don Luigi "from an old vineyard in Montepulciano, which today has about 4,500 vines where," as Alessio Di Majo Norante explained, "we practice rather intense thinning out to leave only six bunches per vine. The grape harvest is late and fermentation is followed by long maceration in contact with the skins, before ageing for 24 months partly in barrique and partly in tonneau; the wine is then aged in the bottle. It is undoubtedly a very rich wine, with an intense colour, fruity and slightly tannic. It has a fine body and its name is a tribute to my father, Luigi." Covid penalized company sales through the horeca channel, one of the preferential outlets in the sector. "The closure of hotels and restaurants all over the world was a setback that was only partially offset by online sales," said Di Majo Norante. Yet there is trust for the future. “The night shall pass," said the wine-maker from Molise, referring to the wisdom of the great Eduardo De Filippo. "Not being able to attend major events such as Vinitaly is a significant handicap for us. Since we are a small wine cellar, it is a fundamental opportunity for us to meet customers, importers, friends and other producers. It was sad not to have been able to attend the 2020 and 2021 editions of Vinitaly, because it is so much more than a trade fair with so many opportunities for meetings, friendships and business. These are difficult times but there is light at the end of the tunnel."