The famous ancient Roman author Pliny The Elder once upon a time called it “Campania Felix,” meaning something like “Happy Campania,” the region itself has an etymology related to plains/open meadow; in total, the prescribed name since time immemorial of this region in Southwest Italy hugging the Tyrrhenian coast from the River Garigliano in the north to the volcano Vesuvius in the south’s bay of Naples, meant something like Happy Earth, ergo the name of this project “Gaia Felix” a variation on happy Earth. The tiny domaine’s reference to antiquity goes beyond simple naming conventions – the vine-training here is something more out of a fairy tale than modern agro-ecology; more Alice Rohrwacher than Errol Morris. According to the old alberate vine training system wherein grapevines are trained around & up the trunks of poplar trees, thereby fruiting in the branches some 6-8 meters off the ground, the Gaia Felix project harvests their grapes in the vineyard equivalent of the sky. The ladder on the label is a reference to what harvest time looks like around this 3 hectare estate just north of Naples in a town called Villa Literno: one man in the high up in the branches of healthy poplars gathering bunches of Aspirinio. Which brings up the other unique aspect of the project: only one grape variety. Aspirinio is a native grape variety to Campania which DNA research has revealed to be identical to Greco di Tufo though undoubtedly the grape when trained alberate and in this particular environment, with the roots of the plants still fixed in the volcanic, iron-rich subsoil, acquires entirely singular characteristics and personality. A beautiful testament to the preservation of not only grape variety but the relationship between farmer and fruit – how we grow the plant, how we harvest & preserve the rituals and traditions around the plant. If you’d like to see it on the vine, look up.

100% Asprinio d'Aversa, a rare varietal indigenous to Campania. The Alberate-trained vines (aka the vines are trained to grow amongst the branches of trees) require ladders to complete harvest, all of which is done by hand. After an extended maceration on the skins, the wine is fermented with wild yeasts in stainless steel and bottled as a pet nat. Herbaceous, botanical, structured, and tannic, with a super tight bubble and plenty of acidity to provide lift. Might be the perfect companion for a visit to Astoria Seafood…