Wines of Molise

The Molise region has historically been so neglected that you can hardly find the origin of its name, beyond that it's believed to have originated in the Middle Ages, where a Norman family, the Moulins, owned large portions of the area as a county. However, evidence suggests that people have lived in this region for several thousand years. Since the early 1900s, the area has been basically devoid of people (a population of circa 300,00 people and declining).

This region offers diverse topography. The hillside vineyards provide excellent exposure and plentiful sunshine where grapes can flourish. Most of the vines are found in the southern hills and valleys. The location between the Apennines and Adriatic Sea creates multiple climate types. Maritime along the narrow coastal section, temperate in the upper valleys and continental further inland around the mountainous areas, all of which provide different favourable climatic conditions for grapes to flourish. Historically the region's mountain people kept the rustic wines for themselves, however, and very little knowledge of Molise's wines has escaped to the outside world. To speak of a wine decline would not be an exaggeration. Another reason for this being that the region has been overshadowed by its neighbours, Abruzzo, of which it was politically a part until 1963 (Abruzzi e Molise), and Lazio in the North and Campania and Puglia to the south.

Molise's wine history can be traced back to ancient Rome, where wine production flourished, as thoroughly documented by Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) among others. Vinification dates as far back as 500 BC but only gaining its independence as a wine region in the last half of the 20th Century. Molise finally gained three of its own DOCs, Biferno and Pentro di Isernia, in the 1980s followed by Tintilia del Molise in 2011 signalling new times on the horizon and a step away from total oblivion. With the fantastic geographical and climate possibilities that the region offers wine production, there is definitely significant room for improvement.

Approximately 2% of wine production from Molise is of DOC grade. Biferno wines are produced in the province of Campobasso and include reds, whites and roses. The white blends comprise mainly Trebbiano Toscano with smaller portions of Bombino and some Trebbiano Toscano, while the reds lean towards Montepulciano combined with a little Aglianico. Pentro di Isernia also produces all three, although its red blend consists of a Montepulciano and Tintilia mix. Biferno's wines differ slightly, displaying less acidity and more body because of its terroir as mountains give way to high plains that slope down towards the sea. Tintilia del Molise as per its title, is a DOC especially for the red variety required to be composed of 95% Tintilia.

The following wines from Molise were shared by the NQ Wine Club in October 2022:

FATTORIA DI VAIRA, MICHELE LORENZETI & ERIC NARIOO,Biodynamic 2021 VINCENZO BIANCO Grape; Falanghina, Trebbiano

Fattoria di Vaira is one of the largest biodynamic farms in Italy, with more than 500 hectares, 40 of which are planted to vines. Here they cultivate vegetables, grains and cereals, and produce fresh cheeses, olive oil and honey. They have been working biodynamically for several years with three aims, to maintain the fertility of the soil, to allow the plant to find its own natural way of resisting pests and disease and to produce products of the highest possible quality.

Golden in the glass, this medium bodied white blend of Falanghina and Trebbiano has lots of character. This is a ripe wine with a scent of orange peel on the nose as well as peach and pear. It's herbaceous and, as it’s a skin contact wine, there is a touch of tannin on the finish. It's unfiltered so expect some sediment and a bit of haze, or as they like to call it...extra flavour.

DI MAJO NORANTE, CAMPOMARINO Organic 2020 FALANGHINA RAMI Grape; 90% Falanghina10% Greco

This wine comes from the selection of the best grapes of mainly Falanghina and Greco, grown in the Ramitello vineyard in Campomarino. Straw yellow in colour, fresh, pleasant and persistent aroma with hints of ripe fruit, peach and apricot, it has a dry, soft, ample, slightly acidic taste, with an aromatic aftertaste of almond, characteristic of the vineyard. A wine for the whole meal

DI MAJO NORANTE 2016 Contado Grape AGLIANICO 100%

Contado is obtained from pure Aglianico grapes that are grown on the hills of Molise in the Camarda vineyard. The vinification is then carried out through slow fermentation with maceration in small steel fermenters. The wine is then aged for about three years, one of which in barriques and tonneau

The wine has a ruby red color with garnet reflections, a broad and intense bouquet with hints of ripe fruit. It is soft and velvety in the mouth, very harmonious with a dense body, rightly tannic with a black cherry finish.

DI MAJO NORANTE 2019 Sangiovese IGT Grape: Sangiovese 100%

The grapes are hand harvested in October and aged in a mix of stainless steel and large oak barrels for six months to achieve greater smoothness and softness while preserving the supple fruit-forward characteristics of Sangiovese. Made from 100% Sangiovese grown in the Ramitello and Martarosa vineyards

Bright red colour, cherry aroma with a touch of Mediterranean herbs. Notes of forest berry cherry and raspberry with nuances of Mediterranean shrubs leather and spices. Slightly bitter and sour at first this wine is dry and mellow with smooth tannins that make for a crowd-pleasing, easy-to-drink red wine.